17 aid groups petition Israel's Supreme Court to halt government ban on their operations
Israel ordered 37 aid groups to cease operations in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem effective March 1
Aid groups argue providing staff information would endanger workers and violate neutrality principles
The ban would cause humanitarian collapse for millions of Palestinians reliant on aid
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Seventeen international aid groups including Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to block a government order that would ban their operations in war-torn Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where the Israeli government is set to halt their life-saving work on March 1, 2026, citing expired registrations and demanding personal information on Palestinian staff that the groups say would endanger their workers. The joint statement issued on Tuesday reveals that the organizations are seeking an urgent suspension of the ban and an interim injunction pending a full judicial review of the Israeli order. Oxfam International has warned that the forced closure of aid operations could begin as early as Saturday, with effects extending beyond individual organizations to the wider humanitarian system. The aid groups emphasize that in Gaza, families remain dependent on external assistance amid ongoing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas, while in the West Bank, military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion and settler violence continue to drive rising humanitarian needs. The legal challenge comes after aid organizations were notified by Israeli authorities on December 30, 2025, that their Israeli work registrations had expired and that they had 60 days to renew them while providing lists containing personal details on their Palestinian staff. If they fail to comply, the organizations will have to cease operations from March 1. The petition argues that turning humanitarian organizations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict contradicts the principle of neutrality, exposes Palestinian staff to potential retaliation, and violates European data protection law.
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of a supreme court are binding on all other courts in a nat...
The West Bank is on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia's Levant region, it is bordered by Jordan an...
An aid agency, also known as development charity, is an organization dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government, between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations or non-governmental organisations. The Internationa...
News | Humanitarian Crises Aid groups petition Israeli Supreme Court as Gaza, West Bank work ban nears Israel has ordered 37 aid groups to halt life-saving operations in war-torn Gaza, as well as the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Listen to this article | 3 mins By Al Jazeera Staff , AFP , AP and Reuters Published On 25 Feb 2026 25 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Seventeen international aid groups said they have petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to allow them to keep working in the Gaza Strip and other areas in the occupied Palestinian territory, where the Israeli government is set to halt their life-saving work next month. The Israeli government says it will ban 37 aid groups from war-torn Gaza, the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem on March 1, a move described as having potentially devastating consequences for Palestinians. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 UEFA and FIFA may get a red card at the ICC for ignoring Israeli violations list 2 of 4 Israeli settlers deface, set fire to West Bank mosque during Ramadan list 3 of 4 Heavy rains flood Gaza tents as Israel kills two more Palestinians list 4 of 4 Israeli forces fired over 900 bullets to kill Gaza medics in 2025: Report end of list In a joint statement on Tuesday, aid groups said they have appealed to the Supreme Court seeking an urgent suspension of the plan to ban them from working, and are seeking an urgent interim injunction from the court pending a full judicial review of the Israeli order. Oxfam International said on Tuesday that the forced closure of aid operations in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory could begin as early as Saturday. “The effect would be immediate, extending well beyond individual organisations to the wider humanitarian system,” Oxfam warned. “In Gaza, families remain dependent on external assistance amid continuing restrictions on aid entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas,” it said in a stat...
