ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International and 52 other international humanitarian organizations warned that Israel's recent registration measures will severely impede aid delivery in Gaza and the West Bank, where needs remain critical despite a ceasefire.
In a joint statement, the groups said they deliver more than half of all food assistance in Gaza, operate or support 60% of field hospitals and provide all treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition.
If Israel allows their registrations to lapse, approximately one in three health facilities would close immediately, food distributions would halt and shelter pipelines serving 1.3 million people would collapse, according to the statement coordinated by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
"This is not a technical or administrative matter, but a deliberate policy choice with foreseeable consequences," the organizations wrote in the statement.
One in four families in Gaza survives on one meal a day, according to the groups. Winter storms have displaced tens of thousands, they said. The organizations said they implement nearly three-quarters of shelter activities, with about 600,000 shelter items in their supply pipelines.
The humanitarian groups said in the statement they operate under strict donor-mandated compliance including audits and counter-terror financing controls meeting international standards.
More than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 7, 2023, the statement said. The organizations said they cannot transfer sensitive staff data to parties in the conflict, citing humanitarian principles and data protection requirements.
The groups called on Israel to immediately halt deregistration proceedings and urged donor governments to use all available leverage to pressure Israel to reverse the actions, according to the statement.
"Humanitarian access is not optional, conditional, or political. It is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law," the statement said.
In the West Bank, ongoing military raids and settler violence continue to drive displacement, the organizations said. Further restrictions on the groups would sharply reduce the reach of aid assistance.
The statement said the move would set a dangerous precedent by extending Israeli authority over humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Signatories include Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, CARE International, Islamic Relief, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Danish Refugee Council and the American Friends Service Committee, according to the statement.
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