As humanitarian and human rights organisations that have worked for years in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we are appalled by the Israeli Knesset’s decision to approve a bill that makes death penalty effectively mandatory in the West Bank and which will de facto apply exclusively to Palestinians.

On 30 March, the Knesset approved a bill, introduced by the party of Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir, expanding the use of the death penalty in both military and civilian courts. Although Israeli law has long provided for the death penalty for cases of genocide and wartime espionage, Israel has not carried out executions nor imposed death sentences since 1962. This new legislation not only marks a significant regression: it also does so by imposing capital punishment on de facto ethnic or national grounds and by diluting basic legal safeguards.

In the West Bank – excluding East Jerusalem – the law imposes the death penalty as the default sentence for those convicted of intentional killings classified as acts of terrorism under Israeli legislation, allowing life imprisonment – and life imprisonment only – in “special circumstances” that are not specified in law. Military courts may impose capital punishment by a simple majority, even without a prosecutorial request. Sentences cannot be commuted or pardoned and must be carried out within 90 days. Notably, Israeli settlers in the West Bank are explicitly excluded from the scope of this provision.

Within Israel, civilian courts may impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for intentional killings, if they are committed with the aim of “negating the existence of the State of Israel.” 

Therefore, while the law does not explicitly reference ethnicity or nationality, it is effectively designed to target Palestinians exclusively. It also introduces an exceptional execution regime by hanging, characterised by secrecy, and limited access to legal counsel and external oversight.

The European Union has consistently held that capital punishment is cruel, inhuman, and incompatible with human dignity under all circumstances. But even beyond this principled stance, the new Israeli law breaches basic safeguards recognised by the international community to protect the rights of those facing the death penalty. Its discriminatory nature and lack of due process guarantee, violate the right to life and protections enshrined in international humanitarian and human rights law, such as the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture.

Diplomatic engagement by the EU and its Member States urging Israel to reverse course has so far proven ineffective. This appalling development occurs amid an ongoing manmade humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which a UN Commission of Inquiry, multiple Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations, and independent experts have characterised as constituting genocide, and against the backdrop of an accelerating de facto annexation of the West Bank, as acknowledged by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024. The adoption of the death penalty law is thus part of a pattern of discriminatory policies and practices against Palestinians, which in the same Advisory Opinion the International Court of Justice has found to violate Article 3 CERD, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid.

In furtherance of these policies, Israel has already crossed established EU red lines: the advancement of settlement construction in the E1 area, which breaks the territorial contiguity of the West Bank, with the intent to prevent a future Palestinian state; the ban on UNRWA and attacks on its facilities, including schools and clinics built and run with EU contributions; the expulsion of international NGOs through restrictive registration procedures; forced evictions of Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem; forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians and widespread demolitions of Palestinian homes and infrastructure in the West Bank, including EU-funded projects; persistent impunity for abuses by Israeli security forces and state-backed settler violence; reports of widespread and systemic torture and mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners; restrictions on religious freedoms; attacks on journalists; and denial of access to EU officials.

As also recalled by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kallas in her statement of 31 March, the EU-Israel Association Agreement establishes respect for democratic principles as an essential element of EU-Israel relations. A review conducted by the EU in June 2025 based on Article 2 of the Agreement found Israel in breach of its human rights obligations for serious abuses against Palestinians and violations of the laws of war, both in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Nine months on, the time for action is long overdue. The European Union must uphold its stated principles and legal obligations by finally suspending, as a minimum immediate measure, the trade component of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and adopting other measures, as proposed by President von der Leyen in September 2025.

Signatories:

1. 11.11.11
2. ACT Alliance EU
3. Act Church of Sweden 
4. ActionAid International
5. Amnesty International
6. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
7. Bystanders No More
8. Caritas Europa
9. Caritas MONA (Middle East and North Africa)
10. Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
11. Children Not Numbers
12. Christian Aid
13. CIDSE – International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations
14. CNCD-11.11.11
15. Cooperazione Internazionale Sud-Sud (CISS)
16. DanChurchAid
17. 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World
18. EuroMed Rights
19. Finn Church Aid
20. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)
21. Human Rights Watch
22. Insecurity Insight
23. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
24. Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH)
25. Norwegian Church Aid
26. Oxfam
27. Pax Christi International
28. Public Commitee Against Torture in Israel
29. Trócaire
30. United Against Inhumanity
31. Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) 

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The clock is ticking on a large part of the humanitarian response sustaining civilians in the
occupied Palestinian territory.

Thirty-seven international aid organisations have been ordered by Israeli authorities to cease
operations in the occupied Palestinian territory by the end of February under revised Israeli
registration rules. With efforts to force closures imminent, a group of leading humanitarian
organisations have taken the unprecedented step of jointly petitioning the Israeli High Court to
suspend the measures before irreparable harm is done to civilians who rely on their assistance.
On 30 December 2025, the affected organisations were formally notified that their Israeli
registrations would expire the following day and that they would have 60 days to wind down
activities in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The notification letter stated
that the decision could only be overturned if organisations completed the full registration
process, with which they cannot legally or ethically comply.

Efforts to force closures could begin as early as 28 February 2026. The effect would be
immediate, extending well beyond individual organisations to the wider humanitarian system. In
Gaza, families remain dependent on external assistance amid continuing restrictions on aid
entry and renewed strikes in densely populated areas. In the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, military incursions, demolitions, displacement, settlement expansion and settler
violence are driving rising humanitarian needs.

Palestinian Authority registration provides the lawful basis for international NGOs to operate in
Palestinian territory. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power must facilitate
relief for civilians under its control. Conditioning humanitarian presence on sweeping
administrative demands, including the transfer of comprehensive national staff lists, alongside
vague and politicised grounds for denial, risks disrupting life-saving services and eroding the
obligation to ensure civilian welfare under occupation.

The demand to transfer personal data raises acute security and legal risks. It exposes national
staff to potential retaliation and undermines established data protection and confidentiality
safeguards. For European organisations in particular, compliance would create serious legal
and contractual liabilities. More broadly, such requirements set a precedent that could chill
principled humanitarian engagement in highly politicised contexts.
International NGOs have proposed practical alternatives, including independent sanctions
screening and donor-audited vetting systems, that preserve both compliance and staff
protection without disclosing personal data. No substantive response has been provided.
Enforcement has meanwhile begun in practice, including blocked supplies and denial of visas
and access for foreign staff.
Alongside UN agencies and Palestinian partners, international NGOs support or implement the
delivery of more than half of all food assistance in Gaza, 60 per cent of field hospitals’
operations, nearly three quarters of shelter and non-food item activities, all inpatient treatment
for children suffering severe acute malnutrition and 30 per cent of emergency education
services, in addition to funding over half of explosive hazard clearance.
The petition seeks an urgent Interim Injunction to suspend expiry of registrations and prevent
further enforcement pending judicial review. The petitioning organisations contend that these
administrative measures constitute an effort to curtail established humanitarian operations in a
manner incompatible with the obligations of an occupying power under international
humanitarian law.
Governments must act urgently to prevent implementation of these measures and to ensure that
humanitarian relief remains principled, independent, and unhindered. If these measures take
effect, aid will be impeded not because needs have eased, but because it has been rendered
optional, conditional, or politicised. At a moment when civilians depend on assistance to survive,
that outcome would carry immediate and irreversible human consequences.
Petitioners and supporting organizations

All We Can

• ActionAid Australia
• Alianza Por La Solidaridad
• Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA)
• Bystanders No More
• CADUS e.V.
• Choose Love
• Christian Aid
• Churches for Middle East Peace
• DanChurchAid
• Danish Refugee Council
• Diakonia, Sweden
• Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
• medico international
• Middle East Children’s Alliance
• Movimiento por la Paz, Desarme y Libertad – MPDL
• Muslim Aid
• Nonviolent Peaceforce
• Norwegian Church Aid
• Norwegian Refugee Council
• Oxfam
• Pax Christi International
• Première Urgence Internationale (PUI)
• Pro Peace
• Refugees International
• Start Network
• Tearfund
• Terre des hommes Italy
• Terre des hommes Lausanne (Tdh)
• United Against Inhumanity
• Weltfriedensdienst e.V. (WFD; World Peace Service)
  

Notes to Editor:

Executive Summary – Joint Petition against the Inter-Ministerial Team:

Introduction
This Petition is filed by 17 leading international humanitarian aid organizations (INGOs) and the
Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) which form the critical infrastructure
for providing medical services, food, and water to the civilian population in the West Bank and
Gaza. The Petitioners challenge the Respondents’ December 2025 decision, which orders the
“termination of their activities” due to their refusal to provide personal contact details (Nominal
Lists) of thousands of local employees. The Petition presents an unprecedented “legal
deadlock” in which the demands of the Israeli administration directly contradict international
privacy laws and the fundamental principles of humanitarian neutrality.

Urgent Request for an Interim Injunction
The Petitioners seek an interim Injunction to preserve the status quo and prevent the expiration
of their registration, the deportation of foreign staff and cessation of all activities until a final
ruling is reached. It is argued that the “Balance of Convenience” clearly favors the Petitioners:
while the Respondents will suffer no harm by maintaining the current situation, the cessation of
the organizations’ activities will lead to a humanitarian collapse and irreparable harm to the right
to life and health of hundreds of thousands of individuals in need.

Legal Arguments

A. Breach of the Inter-Ministerial Team’s Basic Obligations as an Administrative Authority

The Respondents’ conduct is tainted by administrative laches (undue delay) and a lack of good
faith. The Respondents delayed their response to registration requests for many months while
creating a false representation that the applications were under review. These draconian
requirements were imposed without granting a Right to be Heard and without meaningful
dialogue, violating the heightened duty of fairness applicable to the authority.

B. The Requirement for Employees’ Personal Details (Nominal Lists)
· B.1 GDPR Regulation and the “Adequacy” Issue: The Petitioners, who are bound by European
law, demonstrate that transferring employee data from the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt)
to Israeli security authorities constitutes a criminal and administrative offense. Since the
European Union’s “Adequacy” decision regarding Israel does not apply to the territories, the
organizations are exposed to heavy fines and tort claims. The Petition relies on the Schrems II
precedent of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which prohibits data transfer to
jurisdictions lacking independent judicial oversight over security agencies.
· B.2 The Demand for Employee Details and Violation of International Law: The requirement to
provide personal phone numbers and contact details of the entire staff violates the principle of
“Data Minimization” and endangers the personal safety of the employees. Turning humanitarian
organizations into an information-gathering arm for a party to the conflict stands in total
contradiction to the principle of neutrality.

C. The Decision for a Sweeping Cessation of Activity is Void Due to Illegality
· C.1 Decision Lacking Authority (Ultra Vires): The Team’s government mandate is limited to
technical registration and visas. Assuming the authority to order the termination of an
international organization’s activities is an extreme deviation from authority without an explicit
legal source.
· C.2 Deviation from Israel’s Sovereignty (Oslo Accords): Pursuant to the Civil Annex of the Oslo
Accords, the authority to register and manage NGOs operating in Palestinian Authority
territories was transferred to the Palestinians. Israel lacks the authority to order the closure of
these entities.

D. Regulation Article 8.4 – Voidness due to Lack of Authority and Breach of International Law
The Petitioners challenge the article in the regulation that allows for the suspension of
registration based on vague “security considerations” without a duty of specification or
reasoning.
· D.1 Applicability of Article 63 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: This article imposes an
obligation on the Occupying Power to allow relief societies to continue their work. The Petition
relies on expert legal opinions establishing that this provision fully applies to International NGOs
(INGOs) performing essential humanitarian functions.

E. Extreme Unreasonableness and Lack of Proportionality

The decision fails the “Proportionality Stricto Sensu” test: the limited administrative-security
benefit of collecting phone numbers is dwarfed by the catastrophic human damage caused by
withholding aid from the population. The Respondents refused to consider “less restrictive
means,” such as cross-referencing names against public global terror lists.

F. Violation of Israel’s Obligations to Facilitate Humanitarian Aid

As an Occupying Power, Israel bears positive obligations (Articles 55, 56, and 59 of the
Convention) to ensure the supply of food and medical services. Arbitrary and bureaucratic
interference with organizations fulfilling these duties constitutes a blatant violation of
international law and the directives of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The post Humanitarian organisations petition Israeli High Court as closure deadline approaches appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

International humanitarian organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory warn that Israel’s recent registration measures threaten to halt INGO operations at a time when civilians face acute and widespread humanitarian need, despite the ceasefire in Gaza. On 30 December, 37 INGOs received official notification that their registrations would expire on 31 December 2025. This triggers a 60-day period after which INGOs would be required to cease operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

INGOs are integral to the humanitarian response, working in partnership with the United Nations and Palestinian civil society organizations to deliver lifesaving assistance at scale. The United Nations, the Humanitarian Country Team, and donor governments have repeatedly affirmed that INGOs are indispensable to humanitarian and development operations and have urged Israel to reverse course.

Despite the ceasefire, humanitarian needs remain extreme. In Gaza, one in four families survives on just one meal a day. Winter storms have displaced tens of thousands, leaving 1.3 million people in urgent need of shelter. INGOs deliver more than half of all food assistance in Gaza, run or support 60 per cent of field hospitals, implement nearly three-quarters of shelter and non-food item activities, and provide all treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition. Their removal would close health facilities, halt food distributions, collapse shelter pipelines, and cut off life-saving care. In the West Bank, ongoing military raids and settler violence continue to drive displacement. Further restrictions on INGOs would sharply reduce the reach and continuity of lifesaving assistance at a critical moment.

Recent efforts to assess the impact of deregistering INGOs through selective metrics do not capture how humanitarian assistance is delivered in practice. Humanitarian access must be measured by whether civilians receive the right assistance, in the right place, at the right time.

INGOs operate under strict donor-mandated compliance frameworks, including audits, counterterror financing controls, and due diligence requirements that meet international standards. More than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed since 7 October 2023. INGOs cannot transfer sensitive personal data to a party to the conflict since this would breach humanitarian principles, duty of care and data protection obligations. False narratives delegitimize humanitarian organizations, endanger staff, and undermine the delivery of assistance.

This is not a technical or administrative matter, but a deliberate policy choice with foreseeable consequences. If registrations are allowed to lapse, the Israeli government will obstruct humanitarian assistance at scale. Humanitarian access is not optional, conditional, or political. It is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law. This move would also set a dangerous precedent by extending Israeli authority over humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, contrary to the internationally recognized legal framework governing the territory and the role of the Palestinian Authority.

We call on the Government of Israel to immediately halt deregistration proceedings and lift measures obstructing humanitarian assistance. We urge donor governments to use all available leverage to secure the suspension and reversal of these actions. Independent, principled humanitarian operations must be protected to ensure civilians can receive the assistance they urgently need.

Note to editors:

• The role of INGOs is irreplaceable across all humanitarian sectors:
  • Health: INGOs run or support approximately 60 percent of Gaza’s field hospitals. Deregistration would result in the immediate closure of roughly one in three health facilities.
  • Food security: INGOs delivered more than half of all food assistance in 2024, including the majority of cooked-meal distribution points.
  • Shelter: INGOs have implemented nearly three-quarters of all shelter and non-food item activities. Approximately 600,000 shelter items are currently in INGO supply pipelines.
  • Water and sanitation: INGOs deliver 42 percent of all WASH services, including outbreak prevention and response for acute watery diarrhea.
  • Nutrition: INGOs support all five stabilization centers treating children with severe acute malnutrition, representing 100 percent of Gaza’s treatment capacity.
  • Mine action: INGOs provide more than half of all funding for explosive hazard clearance. Removal of INGOs would result in capacity reductions of up to 100 percent.
  • Education: INGOs run or support around 30 percent of emergency education activities, which already reach only a limited proportion of the school-age population.
• Principled humanitarian organizations cannot transfer sensitive personal data of national staff or their families. This is consistent with humanitarian principles, duty-of-care obligations, and global data-protection standards applied across all contexts.
• Restrictions on INGOs also directly affect Palestinian and Israeli partner organizations, undermining local response capacity, disrupting funding flows, and weakening community-based service delivery across sectors.
• INGOs are legally authorized to operate and remain committed to delivering humanitarian assistance through UN coordination systems and local partnerships, while continuing to seek the removal of measures that obstruct aid delivery.

Signatories:

1. Acs
2. Action Against Hunger (ACF)
3. Action for Humanity
4. ActionAid
5. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
6. Amnesty International
7. AOI – Cooperazione e Solidarietà internazionale – Italia
8. CADUS e.V.
9. Campaign for the Children of Palestine (CCP Japan)
10. CARE Canada
11. CARE International UK
12. Children are Not Numbers
13. Churches for Middle East Peace
14. CISS – Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud
15. Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)
16. DanChurchAid
17. Danish Refugee Council
18. Diakonia
19. EducAid
20. Emergency NGO
21. Fondation Terre des hommes Lausanne
22. Glia
23. HEKS/EPER – Swiss Church Aid
24. Human Rights Solidarity
25. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
26. INTERPAL
27. Islamic Relief
28. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
29. Médecins du Monde – Suisse
30. Médecins du Monde – France
31. Médecins Sans Frontières
32. Medical Aid for Palestinians
33. medico international
34. Medicos Del Mundo (MDM – Spain)
35. Mennonite Central Committee
36. Middle East Children’s Alliance
37. NORWAC ( Norwegian aid committee)
38. Norwegian Church Aid
39. Norwegian People’s Aid
40. Norwegian Refugee Council
41. Oxfam
42. Pax Christi USA
43. Peace Winds Japan
44. Premiere Urgence Internationale
45. Quakers in Britain
46. Solidarités International
47. Terre des hommes Italy
48. Un Ponte Per
49. United Against Inhumanity
50. Vento di Terra ETS
51. War Child Alliance Foundation
52. War on Want
53. WeWorld-GVC

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More than a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are living in Bangladesh, where they are confined to camps and deprived of formal access to employment and education. In this context, it is critical to listen to refugee leaders such as human rights defender Dil Mohammed, who, according to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), has been arbitrarily and unlawfully imprisoned by the Bangladeshi authorities.

Mohammed has been held in prolonged solitary confinement, subjected to coercive interrogations, and denied access to both his family and legal counsel.

In a decision published on November 21, WGAD has ordered the government of Bangladesh to release him immediately and provide him with compensation.

The Working Group has also called on Bangladesh to conduct an independent investigation into the violation of Mohammed’s rights and to report within six months on the steps taken to comply with the decision.

UAI urges the international community, particularly donor states, to Bangladesh to publicly endorse the Working Group’s findings and recommendations. Dil Mohammed’s treatment reflects a wider pattern of criminalisation and coercion against Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, whose camps have become increasingly insecure as a result of the activities of competing armed groups, the security services, criminals, and traffickers.

The WGAD decision reveals the extent to which Rohingya human rights defenders are exposed to targeted repression. Their detention has a chilling effect on the entire refugee population, curbing their right to freedom of expression and association.

At the same time, inadequate steps are being taken to preserve the civilian character of the camps, leaving Rohingya youth at risk of conscription by militia groups. The Rohingya of Myanmar are one of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Dil Mohammed’s case is a stark reminder that those who have fled to Bangladesh are still unable to find a safe refuge.

United Against Inhumanity (UAI) works to highlight inhumanity in the treatment of civilians in wars and those seeking refuge, particularly in situations receiving inadequate attention.

In September 2025, UAI published a groundbreaking report calling for urgent changes in the way Rohingya civilians are treated, both in Myanmar and in the refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Read our Report on Alternative Approaches to the Rohingya Refugee Situation.

The post Bangladesh must release Rohingya Refugee Leader Dil Mohammed – UAI Statement appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

As organizations committed to civil society and open civic space, we, the undersigned, are gravely concerned by the U.S. government’s (USG) decision to impose sanctions under Executive Order (EO) 14203 against three leading Palestinian human rights organizations — Al-Haq: Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al-Mezan), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) — for engaging with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek investigations into war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. These sanctions create a chilling effect on humanitarian and human rights work in Gaza and undermine the abilities of civil society actors to pursue accountability under international law. They further threaten the civil society infrastructure in Gaza, hinder the documentation of human rights abuses, impede fact-finding missions, and deter legal cooperation with the ICC. If this suppression continues, accountability for the gravest international crimes will erode.

We join the Sept. 4 response of Volker Türk, Chief of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), who unequivocally called on the United States to “withdraw immediately these sanctions,” warning that they pose a dire threat to independent civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in essential accountability work. These calls were echoed by civil society and legal organizations.

This escalation — from sanctioning ICC individuals to now targeting organizations and UN officials — infuses political reprisals into the international justice and accountability framework. It deters organizations worldwide from pursuing accountability due to the fear of retaliation, creating a chilling effect on humanitarian and human rights work, where protection is most needed.

We urge the USG to immediately rescind the sanctions against Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and PCHR.

Signatories:

1. A New Policy
2. American Civil Liberties Union
3. American Council for Judaism
4. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
5. Amnesty International USA
6. Ben and Jerry’s Foundation
7. CAIR-WA (Council on American-Islamic Relations, Washington State Chapter)
8. Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
9. Center for Constitutional Rights
10. Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
11. Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV)
12. Charity & Security Network
13. Churches for Middle East Peace
14. CIDSE – International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations
15. CIVICUS
16. CODEPINK
17. Confinium Strategies
18. Decolonize Sudan
19. Defence for Children International DCI
20. Defending Rights & Dissent
21. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
22. DIAKONIA
23. Diana’s List
24. Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
25. Dorchester People for Peace (DPP)
26. Ensaaf
27. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
28. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
29. Foundation for Middle East Peace
30. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
31. Funding Freedom
32. HEART to Grow
33. Historians for Peace and Democracy (HPAD)
34. Human Rights First
35. Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN)
36. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
37. IfNotNow Movement
38. Jewish Voice for Peace
39. Just Foreign Policy
40. Kenya Human Rights Commission
41. KinderUSA
42. Kolibri Foundation
43. MADRE
44. Maine Coalition for Palestine
45. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC)
46. Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA)
47. MedGlobal
48. MENA Rights Group
49. Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA)
50. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
51. Minnesota Peace Project
52. MPower Change Action Fund
53. Muslim Civic Coalition
54. Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)
55. Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
56. National Lawyers Guild – Bay Area Chapter
57. Nonviolence International
58. Oxfam America
59. Palestine Legal
60. Pax Christi International
61. Peace Action
62. Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
63. Project South
64. Rabbis for Ceasefire (R4C)
65. Regenerative Economies Organizing Collaborative (REO)
66. ReThinking Foreign Policy (RTFP)
67. rochester, minnesota franciscan community
68. RootsAction
69. Sagner Family Foundation
70. Statewatch
71. Terre des hommes Italia (TDH IT)
72. The Carter Center
73. The Episcopal Church
74. The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL)
75. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (QI)
76. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
77. United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ)
78. Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF)
79. World BEYOND War
80. Zakat Foundation of America

The post “U.S. Sanctions on Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Erodes International Law” appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

The announcement of a ceasefire offers a long-overdue moment of relief and hope. However, it must mark the beginning – not the end – of the international community fulfilling its responsibilities.

This ceasefire announcement comes at a time of profound crisis – when life in Gaza stands on a precipice. A human-made famine has taken hold due to Israel’s continued and illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, with tens of thousands of children at risk of death by acute malnutrition in the coming months. Women, men, children and older people have been severely deprived of the essentials required for survival and dignity, including food, water, fuel, shelter and medical care.

Sustained and indiscriminate bombardment has killed over 66,000 people and maimed over 150,000 – disabling at least 21,000 children – destroying entire neighbourhoods and wiping out generations of families. Thousands more remain missing beneath the rubble. Over 92% of homes, 518 schools, as well as hospitals, water, education and livelihood systems have been destroyed, damaged or contaminated with unexploded ordnance.

Today, 13 October 2025, marks two years since Israel’s first mass displacement order for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza – an order amounting to forcible transfer, a crime against humanity and a “form of collective punishment prohibited under International Humanitarian Law”. In defiance of international legal obligations, Israel has forcibly and repeatedly displaced at least 1.9 million people in Gaza, creating a humanitarian catastrophe in which children, pregnant women, older people, people with disabilities, the sick and injured struggle to flee, access aid, or survive in unsafe conditions.

Forcible transfer is happening throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, thousands have been forcibly displaced since October 2023, most alarmingly is the mass forcible displacement of around 32,000 Palestinians from northern West Bank refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarem and Nur Shams, denied return till today.

Last month, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that the Israeli authorities are committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Leaders of major aid groups called on world leaders to intervene following the UN genocide conclusion.

These findings trigger clear legal obligations on all States to act to prevent further destruction, ensure accountability, and uphold the protections guaranteed under international law.

The ceasefire must establish the conditions for safe, principled humanitarian action and protection of civilians. To date, humanitarian access has been systematically denied or severely obstructed, with hundreds of aid and health care workers targeted and killed. Despite the existence of a principled UN coordinated mechanism that has reached communities despite countless obstructions by Israeli authorities, aid has been restricted through a militarised and unsafe distribution model implicated in the deaths of over 3,000 of civilians.Aid convoys are obstructed, bridges and roads have been demolished.

Diplomatic efforts have too often failed to uphold international law or protect civilians. The ceasefire must be the foundation for sustained action to restore protection and humanitarian access, enable the safe and voluntary return of displaced people, and ensure accountability.

We, as the humanitarian NGO community, therefore call for:

• A permanent and meaningful ceasefire with guarantees.

• All parties must protect civilians and humanitarian and healthcare workers.

• The safe, voluntary and dignified return of Palestinians to their homes throughout the occupied Palestinian territory accompanied with the scaled and sufficient humanitarian response to meet all needs.

• The protection and restoration of essential civilian infrastructure and services, including health, water, and sanitation systems.

• Full and unhindered principled humanitarian access for independent organisations to deliver comprehensive and swift life-saving assistance, including food, medicine, fuel, protection and essential services at scale. All land crossing-points must be reopened immediately and unconditionally, enabling the unrestricted passage of people and goods.

• The immediate release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians, including those held without charge or trial as administrative detainees.

• An end to the militarisation of assistance and the removal of barriers, including the denial of registration for INGOs on vague or spurious grounds and the requirements to provide staff lists.

• All States to fulfil their obligations including the duty to prevent further atrocity crimes, in line with international law, including the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Genocide Convention, international humanitarian law.

• The immediate halt of the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition to Israel to prevent their use in violations of international law, in line with the Arms Trade Treaty provisions and as prescribed by the UN General Assembly resolution on the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.

• A collective and transparent vision and coordinated approach to support rebuilding Gaza, a vision which must be driven by Palestinian agency and self-determination The occupied Palestinian territory cannot be an exception to the law that binds us all.

Download the statement and full list of signatories on the link below (available in English, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, French):

• Humanitarians cautiously welcome ceasefire announcement, demand end to two years of forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza  (English)
• Las organizaciones humanitarias acogen con cautela el anuncio del alto el fuego y exigen el fin de dos años de desplazamiento forzoso de palestinos en Gaza  (Spanish)
• Les humanitaires accueillent avec prudence l’annonce du cessez-le-feu et exigent la fin de deux années de déplacement forcé des Palestiniens à Gaza  (French)
• العاملون في المجال الإنساني يرحبون بحذر بإعلان وقف إطلاق النار ويطالبون بإنهاء عامين من النزوح القسري للفلسطينيين في غزة  (Arabic)
• ארגונים הומניטריים מברכים בזהירות על ההכרזה על הפסקת אש ודורשים לשים קץ לשנתיים של עקירה בכפייה של פלסטינים בעזה  (Hebrew)

Signed by:

1. Abs Development organisation for woman and child
2. ACT Alliance
3. Act for Peace
4. ActionAid International
5. Action For Humanity
6. Africa Humanitarian Action
7. All We Can
8. American Friends Service Committee, AFSC
9. Asylum Access
10. CAFOD
11. Caritas International Belgium
12. Caritas Middle East and North Africa – Caritas MONA
13. Children of Earth Association- YEÇED
14. Christian Aid
15. Church World Service
16. Disable Development & Educational Foundation (DDEF)
17. DT Peduli
18. Golden Future Indonesia
19. Hayata Destek / Support to Life
20. HelpAge International
21. Horan Foundation
22. Human Initiative
23. ICVA Network Secretariat
24. IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation
25. Insecurity Insight
26. International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation
27. INTERSOS
28. Islamic Relief
29. Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA)
30. KinderUSA
31. Laznas Dewan Da’wah
32. MedGlobal
33. Medicines du Monde Spain
34. Mennonite Central Committee
35. National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response
36. Nonviolent Peaceforce
37. Philippine Humanitarian Care (PHILCARE) Inc.
38. Qudwah Indonesia
39. Refugee Council of Australia
40. Refugee Solidarity Network
41. Refugee-Led Organization Network (RELON) Uganda
42. Rumah Zakat
43. Samaj Kalyan O Unnayan Shangstha (SKUS)
44. SEAHUM Southeast Asia Humanitarian Committee
45. Syrian Networks League (SNL)
46. Terre des hommes Foundation
47. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
48. Women’s Refugee Commission
49. Yayasan Dompet Dhuafa Republika
50. Yemen HDPNexus Initiative
51. Yemen National NGOs Forum

The post “Welcoming Gaza Ceasefire and marking two years of Forced Displacement” appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

Since April 2023, when the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began their disastrous war, the people of Sudan have been killed, displaced, starved and subjected to appalling acts of brutality. Millions have been driven from their homes, and entire communities live under siege conditions. Reports of widespread sexual and gender-based violence continue to shock the conscience of humanity.

Yet despite the scale of this catastrophe, the international response has been completely inadequate. Multiple mediation efforts have failed to coordinate competing initiatives or persuade the main parties to negotiate an end to the conflict. Humanitarian action has been hampered by chronic underfunding, limited distribution mechanisms and slow adaptation by international humanitarian actors to the context. In particular, it has failed to adjust to the urgency of providing support to locally led frontline mutual aid efforts. Above all, it has been impeded by the refusal of both SAF and RSF to grant meaningful access. Hunger is being used as a weapon of war.

Since June 2024, UAI has convened a Task Team on Sudan, bringing together political analysts, humanitarian professionals, academics, civil society and diaspora representatives. In June 2024, we first called for the appointment of a High-Level Humanitarian Envoy to work alongside the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy. The case for such an appointment is now stronger than ever.  

A dedicated Humanitarian Envoy could:
– Focus international attention on civilian needs and sustain momentum when the political track is stalled;
– Re-energise fundraising by mobilising donor capitals and raising public awareness at a time when the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plans for Sudan and for Sudanese refugees remain massively underfunded;
– Support negotiations for humanitarian access across front lines, including in RSF-controlled areas, where new de facto governance structures are emerging;
– Provide strategic coherence with respect to the three million Sudanese refugees in neighbouring states, who currently fall between different UN country offices;
– Reinforce the work of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Port Sudan, whose remit and operating space are constrained by the authorities.

Precedent already exists for such a role. Ambassador Tom Vraalsen, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs for Sudan (1998 -2004), demonstrated the value of an independent humanitarian voice able to negotiate access and sustain international attention during a period of intense conflict. Drawing on that example, a new high-level Humanitarian Envoy could combine diplomatic authority and humanitarian legitimacy to engage across conflict lines and regional actors, helping to restore access and confidence in the UN’s neutrality and impartiality.

This proposal reflects not only the views of humanitarian actors and some supportive governments, but also the widest Sudanese pro-democracy coalition, Somoud, which has explicitly called for a special humanitarian coordinator in its Political Vision. Developments such as the Tasis Alliance’s parallel government in Nyala and the effective partition of the country underline the urgency of senior-level engagement from outside Sudan. Precedents such as Jan Egeland’s appointment on Syria show that a high-profile humanitarian figure can make a decisive difference.

UAI therefore urges governments, international organisations, civil society and the media to:
– Back the appointment of a High-Level Humanitarian Envoy for the Sudan emergency;
– Insist on a single international mediation mechanism to replace the current fragmented approaches; Increase financial and other support for local mutual aid groups and strengthen local leadership of humanitarian response and resilience building;
– Inject  significantly more resources into humanitarian operations and accountability efforts, including the pursuit of war crimes investigations.

Sudan is today the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Its people deserve more than indifference.

The post “The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis: Immediate Action Vital for Civilians in Sudan” appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

Most countries recognise Palestinian statehood, yet Israel’s international law violations are accelerating, with
near-total impunity, causing mass displacement, widespread death, and an escalating humanitarian crisis
throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. For real impact and to avoid complicity, States must turn their
expressions of solidarity into concrete, life-saving action, and any plans for a way forward must place
Palestinians as the main architects of their own future.


Statehood recognition is an important, welcome step in the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to
self-determination. It cannot remain symbolic, or be treated as a reward. Importantly, it doesn’t absolve Member
States of their legal and moral obligations to put an end to the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory
(Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem) – which the International Court of Justice has determined to be
illegal and in violation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination – and to stop what the UN Commission of Inquiry has
determined to be a genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza.


The escalating humanitarian crisis driven by these actions is widely known and documented. Just in the past two
years, Israeli eviction orders, demolitions, blockages, arbitrary arrests and direct attacks on people, have triggered the
largest forced displacement in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of the occupation in 1967.
The largest land theft in three decades was officially approved last year, and violence by settlers is at an all-time high.
In Gaza, Israeli authorities have been carrying out a deadly military operation that has killed or injured over 136,000
people, forced 2 million people to flee several times, and destroyed 90% of the buildings. Throughout Gaza and the
West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces have attacked health facilities close to 1,650 times. They have
restricted free movement – through military checkpoints, gates, barriers, corridors and no-go zones – with devastating
consequences on communities’ ability to access livelihoods, medical care, education and other vital services.


World leaders cannot claim ignorance. Even as 4 in 5 countries globally recognise the State of Palestine, the Israeli
parliament recently approved a motion to completely annex the West Bank including East Jerusalem, where 3.3
million Palestinians live, and Israeli officials have reiterated their intention to pursue “complete sovereignty” over the
West Bank, stating that “there is no Palestinian people and no Palestinian State” and that “the place belongs to
[Israelis]”. Similar intentions have been openly declared for all of Gaza.


Such declarations are no longer fringe: they show what is driving the accelerated erasure of a people. Israel’s
fragmentation and annexation of land internationally recognised as Palestinian is rendering the prospect of a viable
Palestinian State less and less realistic.


Acting is not optional. The International Court of Justice clarified in July 2024 that all UN Member States are obligated
to not recognize or support Israel’s unlawful occupation, including through trade and investments. Moreover, the UN
Commission of Inquiry has determined that all States must “take all necessary steps to try to avoid or stop the
commission of genocide”.


Just in the few weeks that have passed since several additional countries recognised the State of Palestine, hundreds
of Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,500 have been injured by Israeli fire across the occupied Palestinian
territory. The military takeover of Gaza City has accelerated in scope and brutality: deadly strikes on tents, housing
units and public buildings have forced tens of thousands to flee once more, though most people have nowhere to go;
several health care facilities in the north have had to shut down leaving hundreds of thousands with very limited access to medical care. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settler attacks and military incursions and arrests
have intensified. Dozens of Palestinian structures have been demolished. The Israeli parliament’s National Security
Committee has advanced discussions to restrict humanitarian access to prisons where over 9,500 Palestinians are
held as well as a law to authorise the death penalty for detainees.


With each hour of delay, another family is shattered, another child starves, another home is reduced to dust, another
piece of Palestinian life is erased.
To avoid the outcome of having a State of Palestine without Palestinians, and to prevent Israeli forces and settlers
from taking additional punitive action against communities, States must use every available political, economic, and
legal tool at their disposal for:


•  An immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and for Palestinians to own and lead their own
(re)construction plans and process, in line with their inalienable right to self-determination
• An end to Israel’s illegal occupation of the entire occupied Palestinian territory, ensuring the conditions
needed for Palestinians to stay in their land

• Unrestricted UN-coordinated humanitarian access and protection, as enshrined in international humanitarian
law, throughout the occupied Palestinian territory
• An end to trade with illegal settlements, including the provision of services and investments

• An immediate halt to all arms sales and transfers to Israel
• Accountability for crimes committed

• The immediate reopening of a corridor linking Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for medical
evacuations and other purposes

Endorsed by (alphabetical order):

1. ActionAid International
2. Al Awda Health and Community Association
3. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
4. Arab Educational Institute – Pax Christi Palestine
5. Bystanders No More
6. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
7. CIDSE – International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations
8. Emmaus International
9. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
10. Global Legal Action Network (GLAN)
11. HelpAge International
12. Insecurity Insight
13. Médecins du Monde International Network (MdM)
14. Norwegian People’s Aid
15. Oxfam International
16. PARC – Agricultural Development Association
17. Pax Christi International
18. Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy (PICS)
19. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
20. Sabeel-Kairos UK
21. The Middle East Children’s Alliance
22. Terre des Hommes Italy
23. United Against Inhumanity

NOTE TO EDITORS

• In 2025, Israeli policies and practices have forced at least 40,000 Palestinians out of their homes in the northern West Bank – all-time high since Israeli occupation began in 1967 – due to Israeli-ordered demolitions, evictions, and increasing attacks by settlers and armed forces. Another 66,800 at least face a direct risk of forcible transfer, as about 663 km2 of West Bank land is vulnerable to settlement takeover and expansion.
• Israeli authorities have approved the largest land theft in the West Bank in three decades in July 2024, as well as the construction of over 15,000 units and 22 new illegal settlements in 2025 alone, and established over 121 new outposts. Weeks ago, Israeli authorities gave final approval for the “E1” settlement project, which is effectively cutting off East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank and further fragmenting the land.
• For two years, Israeli forces have bombed Gaza relentlessly. The military operation has killed at least 66,000, injured 170,000 and forced close to 2 million people to flee repeatedly. Over 92% of housing units and 90% of school buildings are now destroyed and only 1.5% of cropland is now usable as a result.
• Since 2007, Israeli authorities have blocked the entry of vital goods into Gaza, including an 11-week complete siege this year that has led to extreme starvation, with famine confirmed in northern Gaza, and severe shortages in health facilities.
• Israeli forces have attacked health care facilities close to 1,650 times across the occupied Palestinian territory since October 2023.
• Israeli authorities have imposed countless movement restrictions across the occupied Palestinian territory in the form of militarised corridors, checkpoints and no-go zones in Gaza (82% of the land is now inaccessible), and over 800 gates, checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with devastating consequences on people’s ability to access livelihoods, health care, education and other vital services.

The post Palestine recognition must come with action: to save lives, States must stop Israel’s crimes and ensure Palestinian agency appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.

Together with more than 100 organisations we are calling for an end to Israel’s weaponisation of aid. Despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

Instead of clearing the growing backlog of goods, Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are “not authorised to deliver aid.” In July alone, over 60 requests were denied under this justification.

This obstruction has left millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter items stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt, while Palestinians are being starved.

“Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,” said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera.

Many of the NGOs now told they are not “authorised” to deliver aid have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities and experienced in delivering aid safely. Their exclusion has left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses, and aid workers themselves going to work hungry.

The obstruction is tied to new INGO registration rules introduced in March. Under these new rules, registration can be denied on the basis of vague and politicised criteria, such as alleged “delegitimisation” of the state of Israel. INGOs warned the process was designed to control independent organisations, silence advocacy, and censor humanitarian reporting. This new bureaucratic obstruction is inconsistent with established international law as it entrenches Israel’s control and annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Unless INGOs submit to the full registration requirements, including the mandatory submission of details of private donors, complete Palestinian staff lists and other sensitive information about personnel for so-called “security” vetting to Israeli authorities, many could be forced to halt operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and remove all international staff within 60 days. Some organisations have even been issued a seven-day ultimatum to provide Palestinian staff lists.

NGOs have made clear that sharing such data is unlawful (including under relevant data protection laws), unsafe, and incompatible with humanitarian principles. In the deadliest context for aid workers worldwide, where 98 per cent of those humanitarians killed were Palestinian, NGOs have no guarantees that handing over such information would not put staff at further risk, or be used to advance the government of Israel’s stated military and political aims.

Today, INGOs’ fears have proven true: the registration system is now being used to further block aid and deny food and medicine in the midst of the worst-case scenario of famine.

“Since the full siege was imposed on 2 March, CARE has not been able to deliver any of our $1.5 million worth of pre-positioned supplies into Gaza,” said Jolien Veldwijk, Country Director of CARE. “This includes critical shipments of food parcels, medical supplies, hygiene kits, dignity kits, and maternal and infant care items. Our mandate is to save lives, but due to the registration restrictions civilians are being left without the food, medicine, and protection they urgently need.”

“Oxfam has over $2.5 million worth of goods that have been rejected from entering Gaza by Israel, especially WASH and hygiene items as well as food,” said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead. “This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out.”

These restrictions are part of a broader strategy that includes the so-called “GHF” scheme – a militarised distribution mechanism promoted as a humanitarian solution. In reality, it is a deadly tool of control, with at least 859 Palestinians killed around “GHF” sites since it began operating.

“The militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation and curated suffering. Distributions at GHF sites have resulted in extreme levels of violence and killings, primarily of young Palestinian men, but also of women and children, who have gone to the sites in the hope of receiving food,” according to Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza.

Both the “GHF” scheme and the INGO registration process aim to block impartial aid, exclude Palestinian actors, and replace trusted humanitarian organisations with mechanisms that serve political and military objectives. They come as the government of Israel escalates its military offensive and deepens its occupation in Gaza

“At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is, and it’s not a floating pier, airdrops or the “GHF.” The answer, to save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby,” said Sean Carroll of Anera.

We call on all states and donors to:

• Press Israel to end the weaponisation of aid, including through bureaucratic obstruction, such as the INGO registration procedures.
• Insist that INGOs are not forced to share sensitive personal information, in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or compromise staff safety or independence as a condition for delivering aid.
• Demand the immediate and unconditional opening of all land crossings and conditions for the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid.

Notes to editors

• The occupied Palestinian territory is the deadliest setting for aid workers worldwide, with Palestinian staff accounting for 98% of aid worker fatalities: 509 out of 517 killings that took place between 2023-2025, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.
• On 6 May, 55 organisations warned that Israel’s new INGO registration measures are a grave threat to humanitarian operations and international law.
• On 1 July, 200+ organisations called for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme, including the so-called “GHF” in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies.
• On 23 July, 100+ organisations warned that, as mass starvation spreads across Gaza, our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.
• On 29 July, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) wrote that the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip.
• Israel has consistently denied restricting the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, including throughout the period of July 2025, when most of the denials discussed in this statement were issued.
• On 31 July, OHCHR wrote that since 27 May, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of the “GHF” sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys. Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli forces.
• On 4 August, a Palestinian nurse in Gaza was killed when an airdrop struck him.
• On 5 August, it was reported that Israeli authorities are planning for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip.
• On 6 August, UN agencies and NGOs warned that without immediate action most international NGO partners could be de-registered by Israel in coming weeks.
• On 6 August, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) concluded that Israel’s information requests under the INGO registration process risk violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The DPA advised that INGOs should not comply with these requests, and that the only solution is for Israel to amend its requirements and for the relevant ministries to issue a formal protest.
• On 7 August, MSF released a report stating food distributions in Gaza run by the so-called “GHF” are sites of “orchestrated killing and dehumanisation” that must be shut down.”
• On 10 August, Save the Children reported the deaths of 100 children due to starvation in Gaza since October 2023.
• On 12 August, a group of UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights published a letter to the Israeli government, stating deep concern that the INGO registration measures “weaken the ability of INGOs to operate independently and impartially and to carry out their humanitarian and human rights work without interference or fear of reprisal” and that “that the obligation to report on INGO personnel, in the context of occupation, armed conflict and serious violations of international law, could raise serious protection and reprisal concerns.”

Signatories:

1. A New Policy
2. ACT Alliance
3. ActionAid Denmark
4. ActionAid International
5. Action Against Hunger (ACF)
6. Action For Humanity
7. All We Can
8. Alliance Sud
9. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
10. Americares
11. Anera
12. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz
13. Bystanders No More
14. Campaign Against Arms Trade
15. Canadian Foodgrains Bank
16. CARE
17. Caritas Internationalis
18. Caritas Jerusalem
19. Caritas Middle East and North Africa
20. Caritas Switzerland
21. Center for Jewish Nonviolence
22. Charity & Security Network
23. ChildFund Alliance
24. Children Not Numbers
25. Christian Aid
26. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
27. CISS – Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud
28. Committee to Protect Journalists
29. Comundo
30. Cooperation Canada
31. COORDINADORA VALENCIANA ONGD
32. DanChurchAid
33. Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
34. Department of Service to the Palestinian Refugees
35. Diakonia
36. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
37. EDUCO
38. Embrace the Middle East
39. Emergency – Life Support for Civilian War Victims Ong Ets
40. Entreculturas
41. Finn Church Aid (FCA)
42. Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e.V. (Pro Peace)
43. Frieda – the Feminist Peace Organization
44. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
45. Fund for Global Human Rights
46. Glia
47. HEKS/EPER (Swiss Church Aid)
48. HelpAge International
49. Humanitarian Coalition
50. Humanity Auxilium
51. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International
52. Humanity First UK
53. INARA
54. Insecurity Insight
55. International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF)
56. INTERSOS
57. Islamic Relief
58. Jahalin Solidarity
59. Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
60. Jüdische Stimme für Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit in Israel/Palästina JVJP Switzerland
61. KinderUSA
62. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
63. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo (The Spanish Development NGO
Platform)
64. Médecins du Monde International Network
65. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
66. MedGlobal
67. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
68. medico international
69. medico international schweiz
70. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
71. Middle East Children’s Alliance
72. MPower Change Action Fund
73. Muslim Aid
74. Nonviolent Peaceforce
75. NORWAC – Norwegian Aid Committee
76. Norwegian Church Aid
77. Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)
78. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
79. Oxfam
80. Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)
81. PANZMA – Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association
82. PARCIC
83. Pax Christi International
84. PAX for Peace
85. Peace Watch Switzerland
86. People in Need (PIN)
87. Plan International
88. Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH)
89. Portuguese Platform of Development NGOs
90. Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI)
91. Project HOPE
92. Relief International
93. Right to Play
94. Sabeel-Kairos UK
95. Saferworld
96. Save the Children International
97. Secours Islamique France (SIF)
98. Solidar Suisse
99. Solidarités International
100. SWISSAID
101. Terre des Hommes Italy
102. Terre des Hommes Lausanne
103. The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET)
104. The United Church of Canada
105. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
106. Vento di Terra
107. War Child Alliance
108. Weltfriedensdienst e.V.

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In a time of distressing headlines, and searing images of distraught people in brutal warzones facing death, displacement or diminishing prospects of survival, the situation of Afghans is often dismissed, ignored or forgotten.  Indeed, their suffering, after four-plus decades of armed conflict, occupation and corrupt governance, is routinely misrepresented.

There is little acknowledgement of the longstanding reasons for the abysmal situation of millions of impoverished Afghans whose numbers, already in 2020, were set to increase “from 55% to 72% of the population” given prolonged warfare, economic contraction, structural inequalities and corruption.  Thus, while the sound of gunfire has largely receded from Afghan valleys and cities, economic warfare, associated with the seizure of the country’s sovereign external reserves by the US and some European allies – assets that are vital for a functioning economy and trusted banking system – deepens poverty and deprivation.

On the occasion of the 4^th anniversary of the mid-August 2021 return of the Taliban to Kabul, poverty in Afghanistan is no less a debilitating scourge than before. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), economic shocks in 2024 “affected 90 percent of Afghan households.”  UNDP also noted recently that “nine in ten households reported cutting back on basic needs” while many have been obliged to reduce food intake. Indeed, a recent UNICEF report on child poverty indicates that “3.5 million young children suffer from wasting” with a high proportion at risk of death.  The World Food Programme (WFP) warned last month that some 10 million Afghans could face hunger this summer.

Deepening precarity is exacerbated by the coerced returns of Afghans from neighbouring countries which have hosted millions for decades. According to Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, over 1.9 million Afghans have been pushed or otherwise obliged to leave Iran and Pakistan in recent months.  In July, Germany deported dozens of Afghan nationals in the context of its tougher migration policy.

NATO members that have waged war in Afghanistan cut all development funding in 2021. They have, now, abruptly cut financial support for humanitarian programmes despite the increased scale of humanitarian need this year. The US, which provided 45% of humanitarian funding in 2024, has slashed its support with dramatic consequences for women and others dependent on food, maternal health care, hygiene and other support for survival.  The UK, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Belgium have also cut their humanitarian funding.  

Such policymaking illustrates a profound lack of coherence and the absence of an ethical framework in foreign policy decision-making; this has had major repercussions for Afghans, both in the past and now.  It illustrates utter contempt for the lives and well-being of the Afghan people and their society.  Contempt and incoherence can be traced to high profile and sustained rhetoric by various Governments on the importance of respecting the human rights of Afghan women and girls while, at the same time, ignoring that their policies have deleterious effects, especially for females that are further marginalized and disadvantaged by poverty.

End Collective Punishment

No less an authority than the US government’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) latest report, issued in July, found that Afghanistan “suffers from a liquidity crisis due to its isolation from the international banking sector and its central bank’s – Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) –  inability to print new, or replace existing, afghani bank notes.”  

Sanctions on the DAB, since February 2022, not only cratered the economy but continue to punish the poor.   The Central Bank is widely seen to have done a credible job in upholding the value of the afghani, the local currency, thereby inhibiting inflationary forces and maintaining the population’s access to bread and other fundamentals.  However, the DAB is prevented from organizing a print order to replace the much-degraded, existing afghani bank notes, currently held together with sellotape and, increasingly, not accepted by shopkeepers and others. This is a critical problem for most Afghans who operate in a heavily cash-dependent environment.

The only sustainable answer to woeful levels of poverty, hunger and limited access to health care and livelihoods is to develop a functioning economy.  This points to the obvious and urgent need to recapitalize the DAB, that concurs with a USAID assessment to strengthen its in-house capabilities in terms of anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT). Such re-capitalization can be done, in stages, with international third-party monitoring.  

It is also an imperative that means are identified to re-print much needed Afghanis.   One potential option is for the Afghan Fund in Switzerland to use accrued interest on the US$3.5 billion of Afghan external reserves that were shipped to Berne by the Biden Administration in September 2022 for safekeeping and disbursement “for the benefit of the Afghan people.”

The not-for-profit Fund, managed by four Trustees with the help of a Secretariat has, apparently, been preoccupied with internal administrative matters since then. Now is an opportune moment to deliver on its responsibilities. Mobilizing a print order for fresh afghani bank notes would be a relatively small task for the Fund but a hugely useful and helpful step for millions of impoverished Afghans.

UAI, long concerned about the devastating effects of economic warfare, reiterates the importance of releasing the assets of the Afghan people.

It also calls for people-centered, sustainable development and responsible decision-making geared to alleviating the imposed and inherited strictures that make life unlivable for many Afghans.

Discover more about UAI’s campaign by clicking here

The post “Meanwhile in Afghanistan…” – UAI Statement. appeared first on United Against Inhumanity.