On December 30, 37 international NGOs received an official notification stating that their registrations would expire on December 31, 2025. This triggers a 60-day period after which international NGOs would be required to cease their operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
International NGOs are inseparable from the humanitarian response, working in partnership with the United Nations and Palestinian civil society organizations to provide large-scale vital assistance. The United Nations, the Humanitarian Country Team, and donor governments have repeatedly affirmed that international NGOs are indispensable to humanitarian and development operations and have urged Israel to reverse its decision.
Despite the ceasefire, humanitarian needs remain extreme. In Gaza, one in four families survives on a single meal per day. Winter storms have displaced tens of thousands of people, leaving 1.3 million in urgent need of shelter. International NGOs provide more than half of the food aid in Gaza, manage or support 60% of field hospitals, implement nearly three-quarters of shelter and non-food item activities, and provide all treatments for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Their withdrawal would lead to the closure of health facilities, the halt of food distributions, the collapse of shelter supply chains, and the elimination of life-saving care. In the West Bank, ongoing military raids and settler violence continue to cause displacements. Any further restrictions imposed on international NGOs would significantly reduce the reach and continuity of vital assistance at a critical time.
Recent attempts to assess the impact of deregistering international NGOs using selective indicators do not reflect how humanitarian assistance is actually implemented. Humanitarian access must be evaluated based on the ability to ensure that civilians receive appropriate assistance, in the right place and at the right time.
International NGOs operate within strict compliance frameworks imposed by donors, including audits, terrorism financing controls, and due diligence obligations in line with international standards. Over 500 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 7, 2023. International NGOs cannot transfer sensitive personal data to a party to the conflict, as this would violate humanitarian principles, the duty of care toward staff, and data protection obligations. False narratives delegitimize humanitarian organizations, endanger staff, and undermine the provision of assistance.
This is not a technical or administrative issue but a deliberate political choice with foreseeable consequences. If registrations expire, the Israeli government will hinder large-scale humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian access is neither optional, conditional, nor political. It constitutes a legal obligation under international humanitarian law. This decision would also set a dangerous precedent by extending Israeli authority over humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian Territory, in contradiction with the internationally recognized legal framework governing the territory and the role of the Palestinian Authority.
We call on the Government of Israel to immediately suspend the deregistration procedures and lift measures hindering humanitarian assistance. We urge donor governments to use all available levers to secure the suspension and cancellation of these actions. Independent and principled humanitarian operations must be protected to ensure that civilians can receive the urgent assistance they need.
Note to editors
- The role of international NGOs is irreplaceable across all humanitarian sectors:
- Health: International NGOs manage or support approximately 60% of field hospitals in Gaza. Their deregistration would result in the immediate closure of about one in three health facilities.
- Food Security: International NGOs provided more than half of the food aid in 2024, including the majority of cooked meal distribution points.
- Shelter: International NGOs implemented nearly three-quarters of shelter and non-food item activities. Approximately 600,000 shelter items are currently in their supply chains.
- Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): International NGOs provide 42% of all WASH services, including the prevention of and response to acute watery diarrhea outbreaks.
- Nutrition: International NGOs support the five stabilization centers treating children with severe acute malnutrition, representing 100% of Gaza’s treatment capacity.
- Mine Action: International NGOs provide over half of the funding dedicated to clearing explosive remnants of war. Their withdrawal would lead to capacity reductions of up to 100%.
- Education: International NGOs manage or support around 30% of emergency education activities, which already reach only a limited portion of the school-age population.
- Principled humanitarian organizations cannot transfer sensitive personal data concerning national staff or their families, in accordance with humanitarian principles, protection obligations, and global data protection standards.
- Restrictions imposed on international NGOs also directly affect Palestinian and Israeli partner organizations by weakening local response capacities, disrupting funding flows, and undermining the provision of community services across all sectors.
- International NGOs are legally authorized to operate and remain committed to providing humanitarian assistance through United Nations coordination mechanisms and local partnerships, while continuing to work toward lifting measures that hinder aid delivery.
Signatories
- 1. Acs
- 2. Action Against Hunger (ACF)
- 3. Action for Humanity
- 4. ActionAid
- 5. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
- 6. Amnesty International
- 7. AOI – Cooperazione e Solidarietà internazionale – Italia
- 8. CADUS e.V.
- 9. Campaign for the Children of Palestine (CCP Japan)
- 10. CARE Canada
- 11. CARE International UK
- 12. Children are Not Numbers
- 13. Churches for Middle East Peace
- 14. CISS – Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud
- 15. Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)
- 16. DanChurchAid
- 17. Danish Refugee Council
- 18. Diakonia
- 19. EducAid
- 20. Emergency NGO
- 21. Fondation Terre des hommes Lausanne
- 22. Glia
- 23. HEKS/EPER – Swiss Church Aid
- 24. Human Rights Solidarity
- 25. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
- 26. INTERPAL
- 27. Islamic Relief
- 28. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
- 29. Médecins du Monde – Switzerland
- 30. Médecins du Monde – France
- 31. Médecins Sans Frontières
- 32. Medical Aid for Palestinians
- 33. medico international
- 34. Medicos Del Mundo (MDM – Spain)
- 35. Mennonite Central Committee
- 36. Middle East Children’s Alliance
- 37. NORWAC (Norwegian Aid Committee)
- 38. Norwegian Church Aid
- 39. Norwegian People’s Aid
- 40. Norwegian Refugee Council
- 41. Oxfam
- 42. Pax Christi USA
- 43. Peace Winds Japan
- 44. Première Urgence Internationale
- 45. Quakers in Britain
- 46. Solidarités International
- 47. Terre des hommes Italy
- 48. Un Ponte Per
- 49. United Against Inhumanity
- 50. Vento di Terra ETS
- 51. War Child Alliance Foundation
- 52. War on Want
- 53. WeWorld-GVC