By Micah Jonah, February 28, 2026
Israel’s Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a government decision to ban dozens of international aid organizations from operating in Gaza and other Palestinian territories, allowing them to continue most of their activities pending further review.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court of Israel issued an injunction freezing the planned prohibition of 37 humanitarian groups. The order followed a petition filed by 17 aid agencies challenging the government’s directive.
The Israeli authorities had earlier announced that the organizations would be barred from operating in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem from March 1 for failing to comply with new registration requirements.
Among the affected groups are Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE.
The aid agencies said Israeli authorities had requested detailed personal information about their Palestinian staff as part of the renewal process. They argued that complying with the demand could expose local employees to retaliation, undermine humanitarian neutrality and breach European data protection laws.
While welcoming the court’s intervention, representatives of the organizations cautioned that the injunction does not automatically restore visas or ease broader restrictions affecting aid delivery in Gaza.
Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that conditions in Gaza remain dire despite a fragile ceasefire arrangement. They say access constraints and ongoing hostilities continue to hamper relief efforts.
Meanwhile, violence persisted in parts of the Gaza Strip. Medical sources reported that at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli drone strikes targeting police posts in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and the al Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the south.
Local health officials at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis confirmed receiving multiple casualties following a strike on a police checkpoint. Additional injuries were reported in Bureij after a similar attack.
Hamas condemned the overnight strikes, accusing Israel of undermining mediation efforts during the ceasefire phase.
The Supreme Court’s temporary order is expected to remain in place while the legal challenge proceeds, as humanitarian agencies continue to push for full restoration of their operational status in Gaza and the wider Palestinian territories.
