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When Paperwork Becomes a Weapon: The Banning of 37 NGOs in Gaza

 


In wars, bombs destroy buildings.
But sometimes, it is paperwork that suffocates the living.

On January 1, 2026, the government of formally revoked the operating licenses of 37 international humanitarian NGOs working in Gaza and the West Bank. The decision followed months of new regulatory requirements introduced in March 2025 — requirements that many aid organizations said they could not ethically comply with.

The result?
Some of the world’s most established humanitarian organizations suddenly found themselves locked out of one of the most devastated territories on earth.

The Bureaucratic Trigger

In March 2025, Israel introduced a new registration framework for foreign NGOs operating in Palestinian territories. The rules required:

  • Full disclosure of local staff identities
  • Detailed funding sources
  • Internal operational structures
  • Extensive vetting of Palestinian employees

The supervising authority: Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

Officials argued the policy was necessary to prevent infiltration by militant groups such as Hamas or Islamic Jihad. According to statements attributed to Minister Amichai Chikli, humanitarian access was welcome — but exploitation of humanitarian frameworks would not be tolerated.

Aid organizations were given roughly ten months to comply.

Thirty-seven did not.

January 1, 2026: Licenses Revoked

On December 30–31, 2025, notices were issued.
Effective January 1, 2026, the licenses were revoked.
A final deadline to cease operations was set for March 1, 2026.

Among those affected:

1. Médecins Sans Frontières

2. Oxfam

3. Norwegian Refugee Council

4. World Vision International

5. International Rescue Committee

6. Mercy Corps

7. Caritas affiliates

These are not fringe entities. They are pillars of global humanitarian infrastructure — organizations that deliver trauma surgery, emergency nutrition, water purification, and shelter.

The Humanitarian Context

Gaza, after more than two years of relentless conflict, is a shattered landscape:

  • Vast areas of housing destroyed
  • Millions displaced at various stages
  • Medical infrastructure severely degraded
  • Widespread dependence on aid for food and water

In such a context, removing operational capacity is not a technical adjustment.
It is a life-and-death intervention.

The NGOs’ Refusal

Why did these organizations refuse?

Because the demand to provide full staff lists — particularly Palestinian employees — was viewed as potentially endangering their workers.

Humanitarian law rests on neutrality and protection. Aid groups argued that disclosing sensitive employee information in an active conflict zone could expose staff to retaliation, targeting, or political persecution.

Several organizations described the new rules as a “weaponisation of bureaucracy.”

Seventeen aid groups reportedly petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court, arguing that the measures violate Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law as an occupying power.

The legal challenge is ongoing.

Israel’s Argument

Israel maintains that:

  • It has the sovereign right to regulate foreign entities operating in territories under its control.
  • Security vetting is essential in a war environment.
  • Some NGOs have allegedly employed individuals linked to militant groups.
  • The affected NGOs represent only a small fraction of total aid flows.

From Israel’s perspective, this is a matter of counterterrorism and national security.

The Larger Ethical Question

But this crisis forces us to confront a deeper moral dilemma:

When security concerns collide with humanitarian access, who pays the price?

The answer is never ministries.
It is never regulators.
It is never policy architects.

It is always civilians.

Children in field hospitals.
Mothers waiting for antibiotics.
Families dependent on water trucks.

International humanitarian law was designed precisely for moments like this — when political distrust is high, when violence is ongoing, and when the civilian population is most vulnerable.

Bureaucracy as a Battlefield

Modern warfare is no longer only kinetic.

It is administrative.
Regulatory.
Procedural.

Aid corridors can be narrowed not just by bombs, but by forms.

Humanitarian access can be throttled not only by checkpoints, but by compliance frameworks.

And the language is always clinical:
“Non-compliant.”
“Registration failure.”
“Operational irregularities.”

Behind those words are real human consequences.

What This Means Going Forward

Three possibilities now loom:

  1. Some NGOs may submit the requested documentation and regain status.
  2. Israel’s Supreme Court may intervene and suspend the ban.
  3. The ban may stand — reshaping humanitarian operations in Gaza permanently.

Whichever path unfolds, one reality remains:
The humanitarian space is shrinking.

And when humanitarian space shrinks, civilian suffering expands.

A Question for the World

The international community often speaks of “never again” and the sanctity of civilian life in conflict.

But when the infrastructure of aid itself becomes contested terrain, what does neutrality mean?

If doctors must choose between patient care and staff safety,
if food distributors must weigh transparency against protection,
if compliance becomes the price of compassion —

Then we are witnessing something larger than a regulatory dispute.

We are witnessing the transformation of humanitarian access into a political instrument.

Final Reflection

Wars end.
Policies change.
Governments rotate.

But the moral record remains.

The banning of 37 NGOs in Gaza will not be remembered as a technical compliance episode. It will be remembered as a moment when the world debated whether paperwork should outrank survival.

And history will ask a simple question:

When civilians needed aid the most —
who defended access,
and who defended procedure?


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