NGO Action News – 14 August 2025

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

Middle East

• On 13 August, Peace Now warned that the Netanyahu government is exploiting every chance to deepen annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-State solution, following the approval of tenders for the construction of 4,030 housing units in West Bank settlements by the Israeli Ministry of Housing.
• On 10 August, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights urged immediate international action to stop Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City. The NGO warned that, if implemented, the plan would force the depopulation of Gaza City, thereby triggering a new wave of internal displacement and concentrating Palestinians into the already overburdened Al-Mawasi areas. These small, overcrowded areas already lack the most basic necessities to sustain human life, including adequate shelter, food, water, and sanitation. Al Mezan added, “What is urgently needed to stop the implementation of Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City are tangible actions, not empty statements.”
• On 10 August, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) warned of the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s continued policy of using starvation as a weapon of war against the population of the Gaza Strip. The NGO emphasized that these patients are currently facing a deadly combination of deprivation of healthy food, lack of medicine and the inability to access treatment, after more than 85% of Gaza’s healthcare system was destroyed and most of its facilities were rendered inoperative.PCHR called on the international community to uphold their legal and humanitarian obligations, end the prevailing policy of impunity enjoyed by the Israeli authorities, and urgently intervene to stop this catastrophe.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 14 August, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) denounced Israel’s threats to ban aid organizations into Gaza as starvation deepens. The NGO explained that 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 organizations are “not authorized to deliver aid.” The obstruction is tied to the new INGO registration rules introduced in March. Under these new rules, registration can be denied based on vague and politicized criteria, such as alleged “delegitimization” of the State of Israel.MSF in its call demanded the immediate and unconditional opening of all land crossings and conditions for the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid.
• On 10 August, Save the Children issued the statement “100 children starved to death: A needless tragedy that should shame the world”. The NGO said that the reported deaths of 100 children due to starvation in Gaza since October 2023 demands long overdue urgent action. It added, “All available evidence indicates that the Government of Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare – a war crime under international law. Israeli authorities are obliged to provide aid to and protect civilians, and the international community is obliged to ensure that and enforce international law across the board […].”
• On 8 August, Amnesty International issued the press release “Israel must rescind outrageous decision to take control of Gaza City and entrench its military occupation”. Responding to the decision by Israel’s Security Cabinet to approve Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans to “take control” of Gaza City, where nearly one million Palestinians are currently trying to survive under inhumane conditions, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Callamard stated that “ If implemented, the plans will result in extraordinary level of sufferings for the Palestinians of Gaza facing starvation in the context of an on-going genocide. The plans will also violate international law, and trample on the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion concluding that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must end […].”

North America

• On 14 August, J Street issued the press release “Jewish organizations demand end to war, no reoccupation of Gaza”. The NGO stated that the Israeli government’s decision to press ahead with a full military takeover of Gaza, without a feasible exit strategy or a concrete plan for alternative governance, is reckless, dangerous, and morally indefensible and called on the Israeli government to immediately change course.
• On 13 August, Jewish Voice for Peace condemned the Israeli military’s killing of six Palestinian journalists in a targeted strike, among them Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, one of the most prominent journalists reporting from Gaza.
• On 12 August, the Institute for Palestine Studies issued the article “Suspended Between Hope and Airstrikes”. The Institute denounced the so-called aid distribution points, which “are nothing but violent theater – designed to give the world the illusion that something is being done while Israel is actually deepening the destruction […].”
• On 11 August, the Arab American Institute published the article “Nations Must Take Direct Action to End Israel’s Assault on Palestinians”. In it, AAI President James Zogby stated that what is required to end the war, save lives, and restore respect for international law is for member states to take concrete steps to punish Israel, demanding changes in policy. These must include a ceasefire and withdrawal of Israel forces and allowing the entry of international peacekeepers and aid.
• On 7 August, Human Rights Watch issued the press release “Gaza: Israeli school strikes magnify civilian peril”, denouncing Israeli forces’ deadly attacks on schools sheltering Palestinian civilians and the absence of safe places for displaced people, the vast majority of Gaza’s population. According to NGO, since October 2023, hundreds of Israeli attacks have struck over 500 school buildings, many used as shelters, killing hundreds of civilians and causing significant damage to nearly all of Gaza’s schools. HRW called on governments to suspend arms transfers to Israel, given the clear risk that the arms might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of humanitarian law.

United Nations

• On 12 August, UN human rights experts, appalled by the killing of Al Jazeera journalists in an Israeli strike on Gaza, issued a joint statement saying, “Journalism is not terrorism. Israel has provided no credible evidence of the latter against any of the journalists that it has targeted and killed with impunity.” The UN experts called for an end to Israeli impunity and for States that continue to support Israel to now place tough sanctions against the latter’s government in order to end the killings, the atrocities and the mass starvation.
• On 10 August, in an emergency Security Council session, UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča warned that Israel’s takeover of Gaza City could trigger “another horrific chapter” in the conflict. Emphasizing that the only way to stop the immense human suffering in Gaza is through a full, immediate and permanent ceasefire, he urged the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as rapid, safe, unimpeded and large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave. There will be no sustainable solution without an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation and the achievement of a viable two-State solution, he stressed, stating “Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a Palestinian State.”