The Israeli government has begun a process to revoke operating licenses from international organizations working in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after they failed to complete registration procedures required by law. The decision also followed findings that some employees at the organizations were involved in terrorist activity.
The move, led by an interministerial team headed by the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, includes sending formal letters to more than 10 international organizations, among them Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. The letters state that their licenses to operate in Israel will be revoked as of Jan. 1 and that they must wind down their activities by March 1.
The action comes after the organizations were given extensive time to comply. The original deadline was Sept. 9 and was later extended to Dec. 31 to allow for full preparation, a total of about 10 months. Despite the extensions, some groups refused to meet a central requirement: submitting full lists of their Palestinian employees for security screening.
Security checks found that employees of Doctors Without Borders were involved in terror activity. In June 2024, an Islamic Jihad operative employed by the organization was killed, and in September, another employee was exposed as having served as a Hamas sniper. In both cases, the organization refrained from providing information about the employees’ identities and roles.
Political and security officials stressed there is no intention to disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip. They said the organizations facing license revocation account for only a small portion of overall aid, most of which continues to be delivered through other bodies and controlled channels.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said it expects the organizations to launch what it described as false campaigns aimed at smearing Israel and claiming the move will worsen humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The unit said, however, that enforcement of the law will not affect the scope of humanitarian aid, noting that the organizations warned of closure have not delivered aid to Gaza during the current ceasefire.
COGAT also said the organizations’ refusal to operate transparently and cooperate with required screenings is not incidental but raises serious suspicion about the nature of their activities and their partners.
Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said he was proud the government had empowered his ministry to lead the effort to end activity against Israel under humanitarian cover. “The message is clear,” he said. “Humanitarian aid, yes. Exploiting it for terror purposes, no.”