Israel bars ‘Save the Children’ from operating in Gaza
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Israel has barred Save the Children, one of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations, from carrying out relief work in Gaza after introducing new regulations requiring international non-governmental organisations to register under a revised framework. Aid agencies have warned that the move could severely disrupt the already limited flow of humanitarian assistance into the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government has made registration under the new framework mandatory for all international NGOs by December 31. Explaining the decision, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism told news agency AFP that the aim was not to obstruct aid delivery but to prevent “hostile actors or supporters of terrorism” from operating in the Palestinian territories.
As of November 2025, the ministry said it had received around 100 registration applications, of which 14 were rejected on grounds including alleged involvement in terrorism, antisemitism, delegitimisation of Israel, Holocaust denial, and denial of the crimes of October 7.
One of the most controversial requirements under the new rules is the obligation for NGOs to prove that they do not engage in what Israel defines as the “delegitimisation” of the country, a term aid workers have described as dangerously vague.
Organisations barred under the new framework include Save the Children, one of the oldest and most established humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza, where it supports around 120,000 children, and the American Friends Service Committee. These organisations have been given 60 days to withdraw all international staff from Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Israel, and will no longer be permitted to deliver aid.
Humanitarian workers say the restrictions come at a critical time, as Palestinians face a harsh winter, widespread malnutrition and famine, alongside continued Israeli air strikes under a fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States.
The United Nations has strongly condemned the new registration system and called for its immediate withdrawal, warning that it could further choke the already minimal flow of aid into Gaza.
In a strongly worded statement, the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned that dozens of NGOs could face deregistration and forced closure of operations within weeks under the current rules.
“They represent only a fraction of the response in Gaza and are nowhere near the number required just to meet immediate and basic needs. If they are pushed out, the humanitarian response will not survive,” the statement said.
According to the report, around USD 1 billion worth of humanitarian assistance is delivered annually across Gaza. However, “millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicines, hygiene supplies and shelter materials are now stuck outside Gaza, unable to reach families in need,” it added.
Raising further alarm, the UN warned that if NGOs are forced to leave, one in three health facilities in Gaza would shut down almost immediately, cutting off care for tens of thousands of patients.
“Lifesaving assistance must be allowed to reach Palestinians without further delay,” the statement said, warning that the consequences of continued restrictions would be catastrophic.
Former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said that under the new rules, Israel is rejecting NGOs that “delegitimise” the country, meaning those that criticise it. “Among those barred are Save the Children, one of the best known and oldest organisations in Gaza,” he said.
Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) also criticised the policy, warning on Monday, December 22, that Israel’s new registration requirements “risk leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza without lifesaving healthcare in 2026”.
“With Gaza’s health system already destroyed, independent and experienced humanitarian organisations losing access to respond would be a disaster for Palestinians,” MSF said, calling on Israeli authorities to ensure that international NGOs can continue their impartial and independent operations in Gaza.
Rights groups and humanitarian organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have accused Israel of carrying out a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Jean-Francois Corty, president of the French NGO Médecins du Monde, said that banning NGOs for reporting on conditions on the ground is deeply concerning. “If organisations are considered harmful for passing on testimonies from populations, carrying out operational work and saying what is happening, and this leads to a ban, then this is very problematic,” he said.
According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli military operations have killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,000 others in Gaza since October 2023.
