First, Israel revokes the citizenship of two Israeli terror convicts and deports them
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning signed the citizenship revocation and deportation order for two Israeli terrorists who carried out stabbing and shooting attacks on Israeli civilians, reportedly targeting the Gaza Strip.
The move marks the first implementation of a February 2023 law allowing convicted terrorists to be stripped of their citizenship and deported. Defense Minister Israel Katz and coalition leader Ofir Katz, who initiated the law, announced last year that Israel was ready to implement the law for terrorists who receive payments from the Palestinian Authority. Cases have been initiated against hundreds of citizens.
In a statement announcing the move, Netanyahu said the two terrorists “were rewarded by the Palestinian Authority for their criminal acts” and thanked MK Katz for pushing legislation “that will expel them from Israel – and many more like them on the way.”
The two terrorists are Mahmoud Ahmad, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for shooting attacks on soldiers and civilians, and Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for stabbing elderly women in Armon HaNatziv in 2016, according to a statement from MK Katz quoted by the Ynet news site. Ahmad was released in 2024 and will be deported immediately, while al-Hals will be deported upon his release, the report added.
The Walla news site reported that the two terrorists will be deported to the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately confirm the deportation target.
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“After dozens of discussions I have had about monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the law, the time has finally come,” Katz said in a video statement. “This is how you fight terror.”
Likud MK OFR KATZ chairs a commission meeting at the donation on December 29, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Yonatan sindel/Flash90)
The law, an amendment to Israel’s 1952 Citizenship Law, applies to both Israeli citizens and permanent residents of Israel detained due to a conviction for terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism, interfering with Israeli sovereignty, inciting war, or assisting an enemy during war, and allows the Interior Minister to revoke their status after a hearing.
The law allows for the revocation of citizenship even if the person does not have a second citizenship, provided that he or she has permanent residency status outside of Israel. Once citizenship is revoked, the person will be denied entry to Israel.
The requirement to receive PA-related money makes the law inapplicable to Jewish terrorists. Arab lawmakers who opposed the bill at the time described the design of the law to exclude Jewish terrorists as “racist.”
It was also warned by a Justice Department adviser who advised lawmakers against provisions that would allow them to strip terrorists of citizenship based on their permanent residency in the Palestinian Authority, even if the Palestinian Authority denies that connection.
Citizenship and residence permits can be revoked at the request of the Minister of the Interior. This must consult an advisory committee and obtain the consent of the Minister of Justice before making its recommendation to the courts.
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