In May 2024, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) filed a proposal to FIFA to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) from football-related activities for violating FIFA’s statutes, particularly amid the war on Gaza. In response, FIFA ordered an urgent legal evaluation, stating it would address the proposal at an extraordinary meeting of its council in July.

Ahead of the decision, a legal analysis by human rights lawyers, and a report submitted to FIFA by human rights organisation FairSquare both called on FIFA to suspend the IFA, detailing its violations of FIFA Statues. FairSquare outlined multiple ‘obvious’ grounds for the suspension of expulsion of the IFA, including: the holding of matches in occupied Palestinian territory, serious and systematic racial discrimination, political interference, and Israel’s killing of Palestinian players and the systematic destruction of PFA facilities – most of which predate Israel’s attacks on Gaza since October 2023.

In July 2024, it was reported that FIFA had delayed its decision to suspend Israel from international football, and that its assessment would be shared with the FIFA Council no later than 31 August. FIFA reported this was due to extensions requested from both parties involved. Due to the extension, the Israeli national football team would be permitted to play at the Paris Olympics.

The BDS Movement condemned FIFA's decision to delay the vote on Israel's suspension until after the Olympics, accusing it of 'shielding' Israel from accountability, reporting that this decision was made in the context of over 200 footballers, including 67 children from the football academy, having been reported killed, with at least 15 injured and 12 imprisoned since October 2023, as well as the destruction of 49 Palestinian sports facilities, and the use of stadiums in Gaza as detention and torture centres.

Previously, when the PFA submitted proposals to suspend Israel, FIFA did not impose sanctions, declaring the matter closed in 2017. However, in their analysis, human rights lawyers argued the developments since October have given rise to "a new legal framework that necessitates FIFA's intervention".