Shrinking Humanitarian Space in the oPt: An IHL Assessment

Since the start of the hostilities in Israel and Gaza, the already limited space for humanitarian action in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) has been further constrained.

This is a result, first, of a number of regulatory measures adopted by Israel, including the banning of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); a systematic rejection of work visas and permits for humanitarian workers; the closing of humanitarian corridors into the Gaza Strip; far-reaching restrictions on the import of essential goods into the occupied territory; and a blanket refusal to grant humanitarian access to besieged communities and places of detention. Secondly, humanitarian space has been curbed by a continuous failure by the parties to the conflict to respect and protect humanitarian personnel and objects.

This publication closely examines the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) that regulate humanitarian activities, with a particular focus on Israel’s obligations in relation to the Gaza Strip but also the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

With respect to the oPt and the Gaza Strip in particular, Israel has not only failed to comply with its primary responsibility to respect, protect, and care for the affected population; as outlined in this publication, Israel has systematically violated the legally protected space for impartial humanitarian activities in the occupied territory.

Cover photo: A convoy of trucks carrying aid enters the Gaza Strip through the Kerem [shalom/Karem Abu Salem] crossing following the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Rafah, January 22, 2025. Doaa Albaz/ActiveStills Photo Collective. All Rights Reserved.