Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday temporarily froze the government’s plan to shut down the activities of dozens of humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip, after the groups petitioned the court over a dispute involving a demand to provide lists of their Palestinian employees.
Justice Dafna Barak-Erez issued what she described as an “extremely temporary” injunction, citing a “substantial legal disagreement whose clarification is not possible within the short time frame.” She said the court would hold a hearing on the matter in the coming weeks. Until then, the organizations will be allowed to continue operating in Gaza.
The government began proceedings in December to revoke operating licenses of international organizations active in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, after they failed to complete a registration process required by law. Officials said the decision followed findings that certain employees of some organizations were involved in terrorist activity.
The move sparked a public dispute with the aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, which criticized the registration process. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories responded at the time that “it is no coincidence they refuse to cooperate.”
MSF later said it was prepared to provide Israel with a list of its Palestinian employees but had not yet done so. The Diaspora Affairs Ministry said earlier this month that the organization “employs terrorists and conceals their identities,” an allegation MSF has rejected.
Seventeen organizations, together with the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), filed an urgent request Sunday to suspend the decision. They warned of “devastating humanitarian consequences” if their licenses were revoked.
According to the petitioners, providing detailed information about Palestinian staff could pose security risks, noting that hundreds of aid workers have been killed or wounded during the war in Gaza.
Athena Rayburn, AIDA’s executive director, said the group was “still waiting to see how the state will interpret the interim order and whether it will expand our ability to operate.” She added that conditions inside Gaza remain “catastrophic.”
The interim order halts the government’s decision for now, pending a full judicial review.