Israel

Ukrainian refugees arrive in Israel, 2023. credit: AVISHAG SHAAR-YASHUV/IFCJ

Our Member in Israel

Meet Our Member:
ASSAF

ASSAF is the Aid Organisation for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel, a non-profit NGO founded in 2007. It works to protect the rights, dignity, safety and inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers living in Israel, including people from Eritrea, Sudan and Ukraine.

ASSAF provides direct humanitarian, social and psychological support to vulnerable individuals and families, including survivors of torture. Alongside practical assistance, it advocates for fair policies, legal recognition and access to essential services. Through community work, research and public advocacy, ASSAF seeks to ensure that refugees can rebuild their lives with security, equality and belonging.

watch the film about ASSAF’s ADVOCACY WORK

“As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who lost loved ones and lived as refugees for many years, I always saw the importance of supporting people who experienced loss and displacement in difficult conditions and found themselves in a foreign country, without help from the authorities.”

Tali Ehrenthal, Executive Director, ASSAF, Israel

The Team:
“We support policies that advances human and refugee rights”

ASSAF combines public advocacy with direct psychosocial care to protect and promote the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Israel.

The organisation works with government ministries, the Knesset and municipal authorities to advance fair policies, while publishing research and proposals that highlight the needs of asylum seeking communities and offer practical solutions.

Through partnerships, social media and public engagement, ASSAF encourages dialogue around dignity, security and inclusion. At the same time, it provides direct support to vulnerable asylum seekers through its Advocacy and Support Center, Youth Club, individual assistance and group work. Its approach is rooted in respect for refugees’ cultures, experiences and rights.

The Assaf team

Impacts of IRCT Support for ASSAF

In 2025, IRCT supported ASSAF, its member organisation in Israel, in bringing key concerns before the UN Committee Against Torture during its review of Israel. These included the unlawful refoulement of refugees, the lack of full redress and rehabilitation for survivors, and gaps in the identification of trafficking victims.

“Thank you for the Committee’s concluding observations. We will use them and hopefully they will cause some change.”

– Gilad Palombo, ASSAF CAT Israel

As a founding member of IRCT’s Survivor Engagement Steering Committee, ASSAF received a sub-grant and established a joint survivor engagement project with US member Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC) supporting Eritrean refugees in Israel. Although Israel ratified the UN Refugee Convention in 1954, it does not formally recognise refugees, leaving many asylum seekers with only temporary protection and without full access to work or healthcare. Through the US-Israel Project on Eritrean Refugees in Israel, TASSC and ASSAF sought to mobilise US political support to encourage their Israeli allies to uphold refugees’ rights under the Convention.

ASSAF and partners petitioned Israel’s High Court against new health regulations that could leave many children and people without legal status excluded from healthcare. The organisations warn that the rules undermine the right to health and must be amended to ensure state health insurance for everyone. Credit: ASSAF, 2024

In 2023, IRCT was quick to condemn the appalling violence that devastated Israel on October 7, when Hamas-led militants killed more than 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and took around 250 hostages, in attacks that included widespread reports of torture. IRCT also expressed public support for the staff and families of ASSAF.

“These are extremely difficult times; however, we must remain united in care and support for one another, and continue to hope that tomorrow will be a brighter and safer day for all.”

– Mika Foux, Director of Resource Development at ASSAF –

> Read ASSAF’s briefing paper on how African asylum seekers in Israel face an invisible crisis during the war. The report highlights their lack of access to bomb shelters and government aid, leaving many in extreme, unassisted danger. It also details how mass job losses have led to severe food and medicine shortages, while ASSAF responds with emergency assistance and advocacy for equal protection.