A new report reveals the European donation network – which turns into Hamas

The research, which is designed to locate funding channels for Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, shows that these entities benefit from an extensive recruitment infrastructure that operates in the UK, Spain, France and the Netherlands, based on crowdfunding, unsolicited websites, bank transfers, payment apps, and crypto-currencies.

The research shows, as mentioned, that during the war more than 9.5 million dollars were raised for Gaza from about 45 entities under the guise of “charity donations”. Each of the organizations raised at least $100,000, seven online campaigns raised more than a million dollars, and four other campaigns raised between half a million and a million dollars.

Out of all the campaigns, in Great Britain more than 11 million pounds (about 14 million dollars) were raised on crowdfunding platforms alone; the campaigns in France added about 1.4 million euros; in Spain hundreds of thousands of euros were raised through campaigns; while in the Netherlands hundreds of thousands of euros were raised through activities.

On paper these are low amounts, but for Hamas it is an oxygen pipe that enables the payment of wages to terrorists. All the more so when fundraising is also carried out through direct channels (organizational websites, bank transfers, PayPal), with an estimated amount of millions of additional dollars that are not reflected in the visible platforms. In addition to this, in several cases transfers in crypto currencies were identified as an additional means of donation – and in this case the scope of the donation was not clarified.

Direct and indirect connections

In order to locate significant fundraising for the terrorist organizations in Gaza or organizations suspected of doing so, the Diaspora Ministry modeled countries that appear on the lists of terrorist organizations of the Israeli security establishment and the American government.

Following this, the study distinguishes between direct and indirect relationships. Direct connections include entities previously defined as terrorist organizations, workers or activists affiliated with Hamas, or activity with characteristics that support terrorism. Indirect connections include collaborations with organizations related to Hamas, transfers of funds to entities affiliated with it, or public rhetoric that supports or justifies terrorism.

The findings of the study illustrate that there is no essential distinction between platforms used by apparently legitimate organizations and those used by entities with ties to Hamas and terrorist organizations. That is, the platforms are used simultaneously by both types of organizations.

Another key finding is a sharp gap in transparency: the public can see the donation campaign and the means of payment, but in most cases cannot know how the money is transferred, who are the intermediate mechanisms and what is its final destination within the Gaza Strip. The researchers point out that almost no financial details of the entities receiving the money were located.

the recruiting organizations

“This is a security risk that should not be ignored,” says Diaspora and Anti-Semitism Minister Amichai Shikli. “Funds, even under a humanitarian cover, may reach Hamas-related parties. European countries are expected to prevent the flow of funds without adequate supervision.”

So who are those recruiting organizations? One of the most prominent is “Interpal”, a charitable organization established in 1994 in Britain, with the aim of providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. As early as 1997, Israel defined the organization as illegal. Just six years later, the US defined it as a terrorist organization due to evidence of support for Hamas.

In 2019, the UK’s Charities Regulatory Authority imposed restrictions on its financial activities after the organization’s bank accounts were closed due to investigations that raised suspicions of transferring funds to Hamas-related organizations.

Another organization is the “Al-Khair” association, one of the largest Muslim charitable associations in Britain. It has been proven that terrorist operatives are employed in the association. On July 12, 2024, Hussam Mansour, head of a department in the internal security apparatus of Hamas, who was also a director of Al-Khair Association, was eliminated.

Another British body is IRW (Islamic Relief Worldwide), which operates branches in more than 40 countries and focuses on “humanitarian aid and development”. However, in 2014 the IRW was declared an “impermissible association”, based on information from the Shin Bet, according to which the organization plays a central role in funding Hamas through terrorist entities.

“This is a much broader phenomenon than meets the eye,” concludes the Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora, Avi Cohen Skelly. “Over 9.5 million dollars in the visible part alone. When funds flow through public channels with only partial transparency, and concern entities with ties to Hamas and terrorist organizations.”