The UN and other aid agencies fear new Israeli registration rules for dozens of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) risk the collapse of the humanitarian response in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
INGOs not registered by 31 December face closure of their operations in Israel within 60 days, which the agencies say could severely disrupt healthcare and other life-saving services in Gaza.
Save the Children said its application had not been approved and it was pursuing all available avenues to have this decision reconsidered.
Israel's ministry of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism said the departure of rogue organisations would not affect the delivery of aid.
Fourteen out of the approximately 100 applications have so far been rejected, 21 have been approved, and those remaining are still undergoing review, according to the ministry.
The registration system introduced in March includes several grounds for rejection, including denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and supporting an armed struggle against Israel.
The humanitarian community has warned that this system fundamentally jeopardises the operations of INGOs in Gaza and the West Bank, stating it relies on vague criteria that humanitarian organisations cannot meet without violating international laws.
The Humanitarian Country Team explained that INGOs currently run or support the majority of Gaza's healthcare facilities and any forced closure could lead to the shutdown of one in three health centers.
Issues will worsen, especially with winter approaching, which threatens the lives of Palestinians dependent on these agencies. The UN acknowledged it could not fill the void left by INGOs should they be deregistered.
Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières have voiced urgent pleas for reconsideration of the registration decisions as their operational capability hangs in the balance. An Israeli official, however, insisted that ample time has been provided for INGOs to comply with regulations.
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