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Mounting alarm as Israeli authorities reject NGO applications to transport life-saving aid into Gaza

41 organizations operating on the ground in Gaza call on the Government of Israel to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and international law and let humanitarian aid flow freely. Since the ceasefire began, Israeli authorities have continued to arbitrarily reject shipments of life-saving assistance into Gaza, while a restrictive new INGO registration process further delays urgent humanitarian work. 


Between 10 and 21 of October 2025, 17 INGOs have had urgent shipments of aid, including water, food, tents and medical supplies denied entry into Gaza. 94% of all rejections by Israeli authorities were given to INGOs. Three-quarters of these denials were issued on the grounds that organizations are “not authorized” to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. This includes agencies that continue to have long-standing INGO registration with Palestinian and Israeli authorities and are legally permitted to operate by the latter while new registration processes are ongoing. 

These humanitarian organizations are not new or untested actors. They are trusted agencies, operating in Gaza for decades. Such targeted exclusions are a clear indication that Israeli authorities are continuing to restrict and politicize aid in breach of both the terms and spirit of the ceasefire agreement.

Supplies are packaged, staff are equipped and ready to respond at scale. What we need now is access. Israeli authorities must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Between 10 and 21 October, 99 requests by international NGOs to deliver aid into Gaza were rejected, while six requests submitted by the UN agencies were denied. Aid denied by Israeli authorities includes tents and tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, food and nutrition supplies, hygiene kits, sanitation materials, assistive devices, and children’s clothing, all of which should be unrestricted during the ceasefire. 

As of the end of September, three in four of the approval requests Israel has rejected were submitted by INGOs. These rejections have increased since the total siege began in March and Israel introduced the new INGO registration system. 

The announcement of a ceasefire was welcomed as a critical moment of relief for Palestinian civilians, yet reports of renewed violations highlight its fragility. The continued rejection of aid entry is deeply alarming. After more than two years of relentless and continued bombardments — with dozens killed in the past week alone — and the resulting deprivation, forced displacement, and starvation, blocking humanitarian expertise and supplies undermines the collective effort to save lives.

Almost $50 million worth of essential goods from operational INGOs — food, medical supplies, hygiene items, and shelter materials — remain stockpiled at crossings and warehouses, unable to reach those in need. Palestinians in Gaza are now bracing for winter, many in makeshift shelters without insulation, heating, clean water, or toilet facilities. Time is running out, without immediate, unimpeded access, preventable deaths will rise.

The restrictions are depriving Palestinians from lifesaving aid and undermining coordination of the response system in Gaza which relies on collaboration between local organizations, national institutions, UN agencies and international NGOs.

Humanitarian access is a legal obligation under international law, not a concession of the ceasefire. The ceasefire must ensure a lasting end to hostilities and guarantee the free, safe, principled and sustained flow of aid in line with Palestinians rights to safety, dignity, and self-determination. Anything less risks turning relief into yet another broken promise. Israel’s new registration system must be rescinded to allow aid to move freely, unimpeded and unrestricted.

Signatory organizations operational in Gaza directly or through partners:

  1. ACS Associazione Cooperazione e Solidarieta’

  2. Action Against Hunger (ACF)

  3. Action For Humanity

  4. ActionAid Denmark

  5. ActionAid International

  6. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

  7. CESVI Fondazione – ETS

  8. CISS – Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud

  9. DanChurchAid

  10. Diakonia

  11. Finn Church Aid

  12. Glia

  13. HEKS/EPER(Swiss Church Aid)

  14. HelpAge International

  15. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International

  16. Humanity First UK

  17. IDEALS

  18. Islamic Relief Worldwide

  19. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)

  20. Médecins du Monde International Network (MdM)

  21. Médecins Sans Frontières

  22. MedGlobal

  23. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

  24. Medico International

  25. Mennonite Central Committee

  26. NORWAC-Norwegian Aid Committee

  27. Norwegian Church Aid

  28. Norwegian People’s Aid

  29. Norwegian Refugee Council

  30. Oxfam

  31. Palestinian Medical Relief Society

  32. People in Need

  33. Plan International

  34. Première Urgence Internationale

  35. Secours Islamique France (SIF)

  36. Terre des Hommes Italy

  37. Terre des hommes Lausanne

  38. The Center for Mind Body Medicine –  CMBM

  39. The Middle East Children’s Alliance

  40. War Child Alliance

  41. Welthungerhilfe

Contact information:

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Oxfam reaction to Gaza ceasefire deal

Reacting to the announcement of the first stage of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, Oxfam International’s Executive Director Amitabh Behar said: 

“This is a desperately needed step towards ending Israel’s genocide in Gaza.  We welcome the release of Israeli hostages and unlawfully detained Palestinians. 

 “This fragile ceasefire must be the beginning of a sustained and principled effort that leads to ending Israel’s unlawful occupation and blockade. It must be focused on restoring rights and rebuilding lives. Any political or reconstruction plan must not entrench the occupation or further undermine Palestinian sovereignty. 

“The path forward must be Palestinian-led and rooted in the fulfilment of fundamental rights. Negotiations on Gaza’s future must go beyond bricks and mortar – they must restore the foundations of daily life, rebuild shattered communities and offer pathways to healing and hope. This must go hand-in-hand with Palestinian self-determination, with Palestinians leading the rebuilding and governance of Gaza, and shaping their own future across all occupied territory.

“The ceasefire must immediately unlock full and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, supported by the international community ensuring that a sustainable ceasefire is upheld.  

“The international community must also ensure that Israel opens all crossings and allows aid and commercial goods to flow freely and safely at scale into every corner of the Strip. Humanitarian efforts must be UN-led and principled.  

“Israel’s deliberate use of starvation, forced displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure over the past two years must be investigated as crimes under international law and those responsible held to account. A ceasefire marks only the beginning. It stops the killing and must pave the way for the next phase: preparing the ground for a sustainable peace and genuine reconciliation. This process cannot succeed without justice and accountability at its core, to prevent impunity and ensure the cycle of violence is not repeated.  

“This moment must mark a shift toward an authentic, inclusive process grounded in human rights, equality, and dignity for all. World leaders must ensure that this ceasefire is upheld by all parties, that those who committed war crimes are investigated and prosecuted and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination is upheld.” 

Contact information:

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Rohingya refugees: Finding hope amongst the hopelessness

Life in the Rohingya Refugee Camps.

The impending monsoon rains are bearing down on the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and there’s no getting around it – it’s going to be a really tough time.

I’ve just finished three weeks working for Oxfam’s Rohingya crisis response team in Cox’s Bazar and can remember one moment, standing in the pouring rain in the Rohingya refugee ‘mega-camp’. Everywhere I looked, ramshackle shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulins stretched into the distance.

People old and young were trying to find shelter from the downpour, and large puddles were quickly forming across the narrow brick road, with water running down sandy hillside paths.

As I was trying to take photos of a deep tube well Oxfam was drilling to provide clean water, numerous Rohingya refugees offered to take me into their shelters to stay dry, or brought me umbrellas. Such was the kindness of people who had endured unspeakable horrors that forced them from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrGDqWBDA8″ /]

The camps are experiencing what they call the ‘pre-monsoon rains’ at the moment, where every couple of days a ferocious storm will hit for an hour or so. This rain is nothing like I’m used to.

The falling water has an almost physical quality, beating down on you, and the rain can be so heavy you struggle to see the other side of a road.

Trees are often blown over in the wind, and almost immediately, huge puddles form everywhere, slowing cars and trucks on the sandy, brick roads and draining into refugees’ flimsy shelters.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay6yK3rgjV4″ /]

It’s estimated that more than 600,000 people are living in the Rohingya refugee mega-camp alone – a population almost the size of Wellington, Dunedin and Hamilton combined.

The impact of the full monsoon on this many people in such desperate living conditions is what’s top of mind for aid workers. Yet despite this, I was struck by the way in which Rohingya refugees could find hope in what appeared to be a hopeless situation. They are denied citizenship in their country – they feel they have nowhere they belong and have nowhere to call home right now. No-one knows what their future holds.

They’re awaiting monsoon rains likely to bring floods, landslides and potentially deadly water-borne diseases. The United Nations (UN) estimates up to 200,000 people are living in at-risk areas of the camps.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-j2PmmDt-A” /]

As much as 2.5 metres of rain could fall on the camps over the next three months. But, the refugees I met certainly weren’t hopeless or despairing.

Parents were working hard to strengthen their shelters or volunteering for charities like Oxfam as community health trainers or with the UN as camp labourers helping prepare the camps for the coming heavy rain.

Among them was a young woman I met called Ayesha*, who was 18 years old. She fled to Bangladesh with her mother and three siblings after their father was killed in the violence in Myanmar.

It took them nearly 5 days to get to Bangladesh by boat and foot; others weren’t so lucky and drowned when their boats sank.

Life is tough in the camps without a father or husband – women can get missed or sidelined at aid distributions, and culturally, young women are not supposed to go out alone.

But none of this had dampened Ayesha’s spirit. She put up her hand to volunteer and now runs community health training sessions with her neighbours and other women. 

She told me, “Now I work as an Oxfam volunteer, I teach people how to maintain good hygiene and I tell people what to do to have a good life. I feel good about it”.

As for the children, they played football wherever they could find space, and ran through the camps in happy bunches and practised English with aid workers – “goodbye, how are you, I am fine.”

*name changed to protect identity

Written by Dylan Quinnell, Senior Media Coordinator at Oxfam Australia.