Israel is blocking aid to Gaza primarily as part of its broader strategy to control and isolate the territory amidst the ongoing conflict and occupation. Since March 2025, Israel has introduced new bureaucratic regulations that restrict international aid organizations from delivering supplies unless they meet stringent authorization requirements, which many NGOs have been denied. This has resulted in millions of dollars’ worth of food, medicine, and humanitarian goods being stranded outside Gaza, while hospitals and vulnerable populations inside suffer from lack of essentials. Israel defends these measures as necessary to prevent aid from being diverted to Hamas, which it considers a hostile entity, framing the blockade as a pressure tactic in the conflict. The blockade and aid restrictions have been widely criticized by humanitarian organizations, UN agencies, and international observers as collective punishment and violations of international law, causing severe humanitarian crises including starvation and lack of medical supplies for civilians in Gaza.
Key reasons behind Israel's blocking of aid include:
- The introduction of new registration rules that allow denial of authorization to NGOs on vague political grounds, aimed at controlling independent organizations and silencing advocacy.
- Use of a militarized food distribution system ("GHF scheme") criticized for causing violence and exclusions.
- Israel’s positioning of aid restrictions as a way to pressure Hamas and control the population in Gaza amid its military operations.
- Concerns over Hamas potentially diverting aid supplies for militant use.
This strategy has led to widespread international condemnation for exacerbating Gaza's humanitarian crisis, with reports of hospitals running out of supplies and civilians facing starvation.
