Nineteen humanitarian organizations — including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières — have filed a petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice, pushing to block an order that would halt the operations of 37 aid groups by the start of next month.
It’s the latest in a yearlong standoff between Israeli authorities and aid groups, one that was sparked by new registration requirements for organizations operating in Palestine last March. The procedures require organizations to provide information about their staff, funding and operations, and disqualifies organizations which meet any of a number of conditions — from denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, to expressing support for legal proceedings against Israelis, to calling for a boycott against Israel itself.
Some organizations have chosen to comply with those regulations while others have resisted, citing concerns over safety, humanitarian neutrality, and international privacy laws. After failing to meet those requirements, many of the humanitarian sector’s biggest players are poised to lose access to the territory by March 1, 2026.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
