DaysofPal- Gaza officials have described an Israeli court decision to freeze a ban on the operations of dozens of international aid organizations as misleading, warning that severe restrictions continue to strangle the already devastated health system in the enclave.
A government spokesperson in Gaza said the Israeli High Court’s ruling to temporarily suspend the ban on 37 foreign non-governmental organizations does little to ease the broader blockade imposed on the territory, which he said continues to affect all aspects of life.
Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, praised the efforts of international relief organizations in supporting the health sector, which he said has been shattered by more than two years of war.
However, he argued that the earlier Israeli move to revoke their licenses was aimed at triggering a total collapse of the medical system.
Speaking to local media, al-Daqran said the decision to freeze the revocation of work permits, while imposing strict conditions and preventing the entry of medicines, medical equipment, and supplies, would leave hospitals unable to provide adequate care to thousands of wounded and chronically ill patients.
He added that allowing aid organizations to operate under such constraints offers no meaningful improvement, as hospitals and medical centers remain in a state of near-total breakdown.
According to al-Daqran, there has been no significant improvement in the health sector since the ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025 due to continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of essential drugs, equipment, and spare parts.
The limited supplies that have been allowed in, he said, “do not equal a drop in the ocean” compared to the sector’s needs.
The Israeli High Court ruling came after 17 international aid groups, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam, filed a petition seeking to overturn the government’s decision to revoke their operating permits and restrict their humanitarian activities in Gaza and the West Bank.
Athena Rayburn, executive director of the International Development Agencies Association, said her organization was still awaiting clarification on how the government would interpret the court order and whether it would positively affect their ability to continue working. She stressed that conditions in Gaza remain catastrophic.
Official health data in Gaza indicate that 46 percent of essential medicines are out of stock, along with 66 percent of medical consumables and 84 percent of laboratory and blood bank supplies.
In late January 2026, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported a severe gap in diagnostic imaging capacity, noting that no MRI machines are currently operational in the territory.
The World Health Organization documented 793 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza up to mid-September 2025. Under the ceasefire arrangement, access to four major hospitals became impossible, depriving hundreds of thousands of residents in northern and southern Gaza of medical services.
At present, no hospital in Gaza is fully operational. Of the enclave’s 36 hospitals, 18 are functioning only partially.
In primary healthcare, just three out of 200 centers are fully operational, while 93 are working at limited capacity.
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