Israel's High Court of Justice on Feb 27 temporarily blocked the Israeli government from halting the operation of dozens of aid groups in Gaza for failing to comply with its new rules.

The court's injunction, which followed a petition from 18 aid groups, halts an earlier Israeli government decision that barred the organizations for refusing to comply with Israel's new conditions, which required the nongovernmental organizations to provide lists containing personal details on their Palestinian staff.

The aid groups have long argued the new rules would expose their Palestinian staff members to potential retaliation, as well as undermine the principle of humanitarian neutrality and violate data protection laws under some jurisdictions.

The licenses of the 37 nonprofits, including some of the petitioning groups, had expired on Jan 1 and the organizations were given 60 days to end their operations before the March 1 deadline.

In a statement, Shaina Low, communication adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council Palestine, said the council welcomes the Israeli High Court's decision to grant an interim injunction suspending orders that the council and 36 other international organisations withdraw international employees and cease operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.?

"The Court recognized a genuine legal dispute over the requirement to transfer detailed employee data as a condition for registration and continued operations, and the obligations many organisations hold under European Union data protection law. That question now requires full judicial review," Low said.

She noted that the injunction pauses immediate closure, but it does not restore visas, reopen?access?or resolve the wider restrictions that continue to affect aid delivery.?

"Despite a ceasefire agreement, conditions in Gaza remain catastrophic, and humanitarian needs in the West Bank continue to grow. Our teams?remain?committed to serving their communities. Since October 2023, NRC has supported more than 1.2 million people across the occupied Palestinian territory with critical?assistance," Low said.

Medicins sans Frontieres, or Doctors without Borders, said that the impact of the court's interim order "remains unclear".?

"The withdrawal of MSF's registration with Israeli authorities is already impacting patient care, as deregistration compounds the strain on a health system that has been devastated over the past two years, and constrained by persistent restrictions on essential medical equipment and supplies," the MSF said in a statement on Feb 27.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead, said in a statement on Friday said they "are grateful that our request for an interim order has been agreed" and thought the "news is positive", the humanitarian situation in Gaza "remains critical and we don't yet know what effect this ruling will have".

"When the court issues its final decision on the petition submitted by Oxfam and others, we hope it recognizes the very real threat to civilian lives and upholds humanitarian principles and international law," Khalidi said.

The Israeli decision on Friday also comes four months into a fragile ceasefire brokered by US, Arab and regional mediators in conflict-stricken Gaza where more than two million population relies on aid for food, medical care and water.

Despite the ceasefire, aid groups and the United Nations have been urging Israel to increase the flow of aid. The West Bank has also seen an increase in Israeli settler violence, which sometimes turn out to be fatal.

Meanwhile, Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories defended its action in a post on X on Feb 27.

"Let's make it clear: Israel does not block humanitarian operations or organizations in Gaza," the body said.

It noted that all organizations operating in Gaza "are required to complete a formal registration process, including submitting employee lists for security screening, to ensure Hamas has not infiltrated the organization".

"This procedure was presented in advance and applied equally to all…27 international organizations complied with the registration process and continue to operate in Gaza. Why can't others?" it said.