Israel Revokes Licenses of International Relief Organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Due to "Links to Terrorism"

SadaNews Translation: The Israeli occupation government has begun taking measures to revoke the licenses of several international relief organizations operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), based on their refusal to complete the legal registration procedures, as well as employing individuals who have been proven to be linked to groups classified as "terrorist," according to a report published by Yedioth Ahronoth and translated by SadaNews.

The occupation government clarified, according to the report, that this step came after these organizations failed to complete the legal registration requirements, in addition to the discovery of some of their employees' involvement in "terrorist" activities. These measures are being led by a joint ministerial team headed by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism, which has sent official letters to more than ten international organizations stating that their work licenses will be revoked starting January 1, requiring them to cease their activities by March 1.

The occupation authorities had granted these organizations a long compliance period lasting about ten months, with the original deadline set for September 9, later extended to December 31 to provide sufficient time for preparation. Nevertheless, some organizations refused to meet a fundamental requirement of submitting complete lists of their Palestinian employees for security screening.

According to claims in the Hebrew report, "Israeli security investigations revealed the involvement of employees in Doctors Without Borders in terrorist activities. In June 2024, a member of the Islamic Jihad who was working with the organization was killed, and in September of the same year, it was found that another employee was a sniper in the ranks of Hamas. In both cases, the organization refrained from disclosing the identities and roles of the employees within it."

Political and security officials alleged that the decision is not aimed at obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, noting that the organizations facing license revocation represent only a small part of the total aid, most of which continues to be provided through other entities and controlled channels.

The Israeli occupation government's Coordination Unit for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claimed that it anticipates these organizations to launch "misleading" campaigns, as it described, aiming to distort Israel's image and assert that the step would exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, the unit emphasized that the enforcement of the law would not affect the scale of humanitarian aid, explaining that the organizations warned of closure did not provide any aid to Gaza during the current ceasefire period. It added that the refusal of these organizations to cooperate transparently with the required security screening raises serious doubts about the nature of their activities and partners.

For his part, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, expressed pride in his ministry's mandate to lead these efforts, affirming that the goal is to end any activity against Israel under the guise of humanitarian efforts. He stated: "The message is clear: humanitarian aid, yes. The exploitation of it for terrorist purposes, no."