Aid Groups Urge Israel to Cease Restrictive Measures in Gaza

More than 100 nonprofit organizations, including Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and CARE, have expressed concern over Israel's recent regulations for aid groups operating in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. These rules, announced in March, require organizations to submit comprehensive lists of donors and Palestinian staff for vetting. The groups argue that such requirements could jeopardize staff safety and provide Israel with broad authority to obstruct aid efforts if organizations are perceived as "delegitimizing" the country or supporting boycotts.

Since the implementation of these regulations, many aid groups report being unable to deliver essential assistance to Gaza. In a collective letter, they called on international donors and governments to pressure Israel to "end the weaponization of aid, including through bureaucratic obstruction." The aid provided by these organizations supplements assistance from the United Nations and other channels, but the overall amount reaching Gaza remains significantly below previous levels.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has reported increasing cases of dehydration in Gaza due to limited water supplies and a heatwave pushing temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). While some aid deliveries have resumed, the number of trucks allowed entry is still insufficient to meet the needs of the population.

The Israeli military body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, refuted the claims made by the NGOs. COGAT stated that 380 trucks entered Gaza on Wednesday and that 119 aid packages containing food were airdropped by six different countries on Thursday. COGAT emphasized that delays in aid entry occur only when organizations fail to meet security requirements intended to prevent Hamas's involvement.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans for a new settlement expansion, describing the move as a way to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state." The plan involves constructing 3,500 housing units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, a project that has been under consideration for over two decades but was previously halted due to international pressure. Critics warn that this expansion could effectively divide the West Bank and undermine the feasibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Amid these developments, Italy's foreign affairs ministry reported the evacuation of 114 Palestinian individuals from Gaza, including 31 children suffering from severe injuries or serious congenital diseases. Since the beginning of the conflict, Italy has evacuated more than 900 Palestinians from Gaza, highlighting growing humanitarian concerns in the region.