As reported by Al Jazeera, at least 10 international non-governmental organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and other occupied Palestinian territories have said they will not comply with Israeli demands to submit detailed personal information about their Palestinian staff as a condition for continuing their work. According to Al Jazeera, these groups include Medical Aid for Palestinians, Medico International, Première Urgence Internationale, ActionAid, and several other international humanitarian organizations that provide medical care, food, and basic services in Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has required 37 aid organizations to hand over staff lists, including copies of passports, curricula vitae, and the names of family members, including children, citing “security and transparency” considerations. Al Jazeera reports that Israel has also moved to revoke or suspend the licenses of those organizations that did not comply, effectively barring them from working in Gaza from early 2026.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the new restrictions come after more than a year of intense Israeli military operations in Gaza that have devastated the enclave’s healthcare system and wider civilian infrastructure. According to Al Jazeera, humanitarian agencies say Palestinians’ access to medical treatment, food, and clean water now depends heavily on international NGOs working with Palestinian staff on the ground.
How are NGOs responding to Israel’s threats?
As reported by Al Jazeera, multiple NGOs have characterized the Israeli registration demand as a red line they are not willing to cross because of concerns over staff safety, privacy, and the independence of their humanitarian work. A spokesperson for Première Urgence Internationale told Al Jazeera that providing lists of employees and their personal data to Israeli authorities is “an absolute red line,” warning that it could endanger their staff.
According to Al Jazeera, Médecins du Monde said humanitarian access cannot be made conditional on political or security demands and stressed that under international humanitarian law Israel must facilitate, not obstruct, relief efforts. ActionAid told Al Jazeera that the registration scheme is part of a broader attempt to “undermine and dismantle the systems that support Palestinian life,” arguing that it forces NGOs to accept political and ideological conditions that conflict with their duty of care and data protection obligations.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Medico International said the initiative appears designed either to make international organizations compliant with Israeli policies or, if they refuse, to marginalize and criminalize them. According to Al Jazeera, Medical Aid for Palestinians has also refused to join the registration process, describing the directive as a deliberate effort to silence and censor humanitarian organizations and warning that it violates Israel’s obligations to enable rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
Supporting details and MSF ban
According to Al Jazeera, Israel has specifically targeted Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, after the group declined to provide a list of its Palestinian employees. As reported by Al Jazeera, the ministry responsible for diaspora affairs announced it would move to halt MSF’s activities in Gaza, saying the organization had failed to meet registration requirements and would be required to cease operations by February 28, 2026.
Al Jazeera reports that Israeli authorities have alleged, without publicly presented evidence, that some MSF staff have links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, claims the organization has rejected. According to Al Jazeera, MSF initially agreed in early January to begin the registration process but later withdrew, citing the absence of concrete assurances that staff would be protected and that their personal data would not be misused.
As reported by Al Jazeera, MSF runs 20 health clinics in Gaza and has been a central provider of care since the start of the war in October 2023. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, MSF has said it provides about 20 percent of the hospital beds in Gaza and conducted hundreds of thousands of medical consultations in 2025, assisting in a large share of births in the territory.
Al Jazeera cites British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah, who has volunteered in Gaza, as saying that the destruction of the Palestinian healthcare system has made the work of NGOs indispensable. According to Al Jazeera, he noted that most clinical work is now carried out by Palestinian doctors and staff working with international organizations, underscoring how restrictions on NGOs directly affect Palestinian-run services.
What are the wider implications and possible next steps?
According to Al Jazeera, humanitarian groups fear that Israel’s registration demands, combined with the MSF ban, could be used to justify further restrictions on aid and deepen what experts describe as the weaponization of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Al Jazeera reports that some aid workers and analysts worry that the current moves could mirror earlier initiatives such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was criticized for politicizing aid and associated with violent incidents around food distribution.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the International Rescue Committee told the outlet it is in contact with relevant authorities to find a way to continue delivering assistance while navigating the registration rules. According to Al Jazeera, several NGOs that did not publicly commit to outright refusal are still assessing their options, while others declined to comment or did not respond.
Al Jazeera notes that NGOs and legal experts argue Israel remains bound by international humanitarian law to ensure safe, rapid, and unimpeded passage of aid to civilians, regardless of political or security disputes. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, rights advocates say the attempt to impose intrusive data demands on Palestinian staff may expose workers and their families to additional risks and could further erode already fragile humanitarian space in Gaza.
The confirmed developments show that a group of international NGOs has chosen to defy Israel’s registration orders in order to protect their staff and maintain what they describe as principled humanitarian operations, even as they face the loss of access and mounting pressure on their work in Gaza.
