In March 2025, the Government of Israel announced new registration requirements for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) “primarily engaged in activities with Palestinian residents for the purpose of humanitarian aid”.
55 organisations, including several ACT Alliance EU members, are calling for urgent action from the international community against these new rules.
The organisations underline that the new requirements are based on vague, broad, politicised and open-ended criteria with the aim of asserting control over independent humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding operations, while silencing advocacy grounded in international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
In addition, to register or re-register, INGOs are required to submit sensitive information about local staff and their families to Israeli authorities. The organisations recall that in a context where humanitarian and healthcare workers are routinely subject to direct attacks, this requirement raises serious protection concerns.
The new registration requirements are part of a broader crackdown on humanitarian and civic space that takes the form of a series of measures gradually implemented over the past year and a half.
The organisations therefore call for immediate action by States, donors and the international community:
● Use all possible means to protect humanitarian operations from measures that compromise neutrality, independence, and access – including staff list requirements, political vetting, and vague revocation clauses.
● Take concrete political and diplomatic action beyond statements of concern to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and prevent the erosion of principled aid delivery.
● Support INGOs and Palestinian and Israeli civil society organisations through legal assistance, diplomatic support, and flexible funding to help mitigate legal, financial, and reputational risks. Donors must defend principled humanitarian and human rights work.
Please read the full statement here.
