UK-based programs directly funnel funds to Hamas in Gaza - N12 TV report
UK-based charities and government programs have been directly funding Hamas in the Gaza Strip, N12 reported on Sunday, citing government documents and security officials.
According to official government documents, the British government has, with full cognizance, been transferring 'tens of millions of pounds' to Hamas, N12 reported.
The terrorist organization functions in the country with nearly unrestricted freedom, effectively turning it into its stronghold beyond Gaza, officials told N12.
Many of the senior officials of Hamas carry British citizenship and can manage and raise enormous sums of money. Reports say these funds are mainly from the public, but also a large chunk from the government.
The documents, acquired by NGO Monitor, were authored by the British Foreign Office almost a year before October 7, in November 2022. Titled "The British Humanitarian Support Plan for the Occupied Palestinian Territories," it outlines the allocation of tens of millions of pounds sterling in cash to be distributed in the West Bank and Gaza via UNICEF.
The government plan then went on to state that the financial aid would be implemented in Gaza through the Ministry of Social Development. This ministry in Gaza happens to be headed by a Hamas senior official, Ghazi Hamad.
Previously, Hamad acted as an advisor to Ahmed Jabari, the leader of the military wing, and held positions as deputy foreign minister and spokesperson for the terrorist organization. He was also involved in negotiating the Shalit deal on Hamas’s behalf.
"He appeared on television and said that Hamas would do October 7 over and over again," stated Anne Herzberg to N12. "So it's pretty outrageous that all the taxpayer money is going to a ministry that he's a part of."
Udi Levy, former head of the Mossad's Counter-Terrorism Finance Division, told N12: "Britain is becoming the main country that transfers funds to Hamas, including after October 7."
The Shin Bet refers to the UK as "Hamas's financial capital in the West."
Levy continued, "These are financial companies that raise funds, which supposedly pass under the guise of humanitarian aid, and reach Hamas activities in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and everywhere around the world."
"They have managed to develop very sophisticated financial institutions," Oz Noy, former head of the Shin Bet's Israel and Overseas Division, told N12.
He continued, "These are systems that help and assist Hamas in transferring funds, laundering money, and also making money."
The Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas have been active in Britain for decades, establishing foundations and charitable associations.
Intelligence from security officials indicates that Britain is one of the top three countries that send donations to Hamas, with the other two being Muslim countries, N12 noted. Officials also estimate that more than a quarter of the non-state funding of Hamas comes from the UK.
In 2001, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi led a charity coalition of 50 Islamic foundations that raised money for Hamas's terrorism in the Second Intifada, according to N12.
When the coalition was ultimately banned, the foundations that were in operation under its auspices in Britain continued their activities, which have only grown.
The British Foreign Office responded to N12's report, saying, "We use the system we have set up to prevent any diversion of aid. No part of British funding reaches Hamas."
