Israel locks aid groups out of Gaza as Palestinians starve, say NGOs

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on POLITICO or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Over 100 humanitarian NGOs have condemned Israel for effectively blocking aid to Gaza, citing new regulations that require detailed disclosures of Palestinian staff and donors
• Since March 2, most aid deliveries have been halted, despite Israeli claims of no humanitarian restrictions
• Groups warn these demands are both unlawful and dangerous, as more than 400 aid workers—98% of them Palestinian—have been killed in the territory since October 2023

🔭 The context: In March, Israel enacted restrictive NGO registration laws, allowing denials based on vague criteria such as “delegitimization” or support for boycotts
• These laws also compel disclosure of staff identities and donor information, raising serious security concerns
• Despite European appeals to unblock aid, a significant group of EU countries—Austria, Hungary, Poland, and others—have withheld endorsement of joint EU action
• Meanwhile, an internal EU review found signs of Israel breaching human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Gaza blockade is accelerating a humanitarian and ecological disaster
• Severe food shortages and destruction of basic services are worsening conditions for 2.4 million residents
• NGOs and experts warn of an unfolding famine, with over 200 confirmed starvation deaths, including 106 children
• The situation underscores how military occupation and environmental degradation are deeply interlinked, particularly in densely populated, resource-stressed zones like Gaza

⏭️ What's next: The humanitarian community is pressuring the EU and U.S. to condition diplomatic engagement and aid on Israel restoring access for vetted aid organizations
• Aid deliveries remain bottlenecked, with over $7 million in supplies stranded nearby
• Calls are intensifying to open all crossings to continuous humanitarian flows, and to use frozen assets for rebuilding
• But with Israel insisting on control and labeling some NGOs as “hostile actors,” a resolution remains uncertain

💬 One quote: “In the deadliest context for aid workers worldwide… NGOs have no guarantees that handing over such information would not put staff at further risk,” said the joint NGO statement

📈 One stat: Just 1,535 aid trucks have entered Gaza in the past 17 days—far below the daily requirement to meet basic humanitarian needs for 2.4 million people

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