Over 100 NGOs accuse Israel of blocking life-saving supplies, leaving hospitals without essentials and civilians dying from hunger.
A coalition of more than 100 international aid organisations has accused Israel of systematically obstructing humanitarian relief to Gaza, where starvation and preventable deaths are surging amid the ongoing conflict.
In a joint statement released Thursday, the groups — including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam — said vast quantities of food, medicine, water, and temporary shelters remain stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt. Despite Israeli assurances that there are “no limits” on humanitarian aid, many of the NGOs report they have been unable to deliver a single truckload since March 2.
Relief agencies allege that new Israeli “registration rules” and security vetting procedures are being used to reject aid requests, even from organisations with decades of operational history in Gaza. As a result, hospitals are running out of critical supplies, and children, the elderly, and people with disabilities are dying from hunger and treatable illnesses.
Oxfam’s policy lead, Bushra Khalidi, said her organisation has $2.5 million worth of relief materials blocked from entry. MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, accused Israel of “militarising food distribution,” claiming it has “weaponised starvation and curated suffering.” According to MSF, at least 859 Palestinians have been killed attempting to access aid at militarised distribution points since May.
The NGOs are calling for urgent international pressure to end what they describe as Israel’s “bureaucratic obstruction” and to ensure unconditional delivery of life-saving aid.
The accusations come as Israeli forces launch a new operation to seize Gaza City, a move that could displace more than a million people to overcrowded southern “concentration zones.” The United Nations and world leaders have warned of devastating humanitarian consequences for the already war-ravaged territory.