The Israeli government has begun withdrawing permits from international humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, citing alleged failures to complete required registration procedures.
Israeli authorities said they plan to revoke the licences of 37 humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and ActionAid.
The government alleged that some of the organisations employ Palestinians involved in what it termed "terrorist activities."
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, authorities have already sent notifications to more than 12 international humanitarian organisations informing them that their permits to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank will be cancelled from January 1, with all activities required to cease by March 1.
Israeli officials claimed that some organisations refused to submit full lists of Palestinian employees for what they described as security screening.
Submit or be expelled
The move is being led by a joint ministerial team headed by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, which sent formal letters to the organisations affected.
Israeli media have previously reported that the government seeks to impose tighter control over international humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank through a new mechanism that would force groups to choose between protecting their staff and continuing to provide essential services.
Reports said the measures, though framed as administrative, pose an existential threat to dozens of international organisations that have worked in the occupied territories for decades.
Israel has demanded that organisations submit lists of all staff, including Palestinians, warning that any organisation accused of "delegitimising" Israel or employing individuals who supported boycotts in the past seven years could be barred from operating.
Israeli officials have taken similar steps against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, with the Knesset approving legislation in 2024 banning its activities in Israel, a move the agency rejected, insisting on its neutrality.
