Hamas documents indicate influence over Canadian-funded NGOs & charities
Canadian taxpayer money intended for humanitarian aid in Gaza was allegedly diverted and exploited by the terrorist group Hamas, according to a shocking new report.
Canadian taxpayer money intended for humanitarian aid in Gaza was allegedly diverted and exploited by the terrorist group Hamas, according to a shocking new report. The allegations are based on secret Hamas documents recovered by the Israeli military.
The documents originated with the Gaza Interior Security Mechanism, a unit within Hamas’ Ministry of Interior and National Security. This unit is responsible for internal surveillance, counter-intelligence operations, policing political dissent, border oversight, civil defence, enforcement of Islamic law and the administration of detainees in Gaza.
NGO Monitor alleges Hamas maintained control of foreign NGOs operating in Gaza through a system of “guarantors.” These local Gazans, approved by Hamas, served as liaisons between NGOs and the Hamas security apparatus. They held senior administrative roles like director, deputy director or board chair, and were expected to inform Hamas of information about projects, staff and operations.
The report states this system enabled Hamas to influence, restrict or reshape humanitarian aid, sometimes without the NGOs’ knowledge.
Canadian taxpayer-funded organizations referenced in Hamas documents include Action Against Hunger, Aisha, Catholic Relief Services, Handicap International, Islamic Relief, Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, Ma’an, Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children and World Vision.
A March 2021 Hamas document alleges the group’s Ministry of Interior was concerned that Canadian-funded Action Against Hunger was asking questions and taking photographs of excavation work. According to the report, Hamas told the non-governmental organization (NGO) to stop, citing a “security risk.”
Mohammad El-Halabi, the former Gaza head of World Vision, was accused in 2016 of diverting funds and materials to Hamas and was convicted in Israel in 2022. The report says Canada continued funding World Vision after the arrest, while Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom suspended their funding.
Hamas documents show the group embedded military personnel and infrastructure within hospitals while monitoring and restricting NGO activity, the report cites. One document shows Canadian-funded Doctors Without Borders (MSF France) selected a room in Abu Yousef El-Najar Hospital that contained what Hamas described as a “safe” communication landline linked to its activity. NGO Monitor says medical NGOs continued operating under Hamas-imposed surveillance and movement restrictions.
In another example, the report says the Canadian government-funded Norwegian Refugee Council told Hamas officials it had ignored a resident’s question about whether a collapsed floor was linked to a tunnel beneath his home.
The documents show a pattern of NGO policy of silence and co-operation, which NGO Monitor views as complicity in Hamas’ exploitation of humanitarian structures.
The report lists 11 Canadian-funded NGOs that appeared in Hamas documents between 2018 and 2022. Five were suspended from operating in Gaza after refusing to comply with Israel’s updated NGO registration requirements. One NGO, Aisha, was linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist entity in Canada.