Israel Detains Senior HWC Officials as Security Agencies Report Terror, Influence Threats

Israeli authorities have detained senior officials from the Health Work Committees (HWC), an organization designated by Israel as a terrorist group in 2020 due to alleged ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This action coincides with reports from Israel's security establishment regarding thwarted terror plots and foreign influence operations. Channel 12 reported that the Shin Bet recently disrupted multiple alleged plots targeting Israeli leadership and dismantled foreign-run social media operations, including a Telegram channel called Bnei Eretz, believed to be operated by a "hostile foreign actor" aiming to influence public opinion. Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg of NGO Monitor stated, "This is yet another example of how terror groups like the PFLP repeatedly exploit the NGO facade," calling on donor states to cease funding HWC due to its leaders' ongoing PFLP ties.