Hamas has compiled unsettling reports on aid workers in Gaza, highlighting instances involving women dressed in ways deemed inappropriate and individuals engaged in illicit relationships.
Documents gathered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2018 to 2022 reveal how Hamas managed aid workers who aimed to assist the local population.
To facilitate operations, NGOs must appoint a local Gaza ‘guarantor’, vetted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security, since they can’t interact directly with designated terrorist organizations like Hamas.
Hamas meticulously documented information about these guarantors, including comments on a woman who “left her home in revealing clothing that violated Islamic law.”
Another guarantor was flagged for having a “morally questionable” reputation due to allegations concerning his inappropriate relations with a female colleague.
There’s even mention of a guarantor who openly despised the Hamas movement, while another was noted for having a low level of religious observance, according to the intercepted files discussed in a recent report.
The organization collaborated with 48 international agencies to assess 55 guarantors, scrutinizing their social media behavior—one woman reportedly stated she had “no hostile activity” online.
Hamas expressed concern about rival groups as well, citing allegations that the guarantors from Catholic Relief Services had ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group classified as terrorist by several nations.
On the other hand, those working with Médecins Sans Frontières France were viewed favorably, described as “religiously observant,” along with a record of a $697 financial transfer received by one.
Additionally, Hamas placed international humanitarian efforts under “continuous technical surveillance,” indicating that these organizations were not operating freely. The report asserts that they were entangled in a system of coercion and oversight aimed at fulfilling Hamas’s agendas.
The documents also reflected Hamas’s financial scrutiny of nonprofits wanting to work in Gaza, including Save the Children, an organization with a substantial budget and global presence.
In 2019, Hamas officials suggested that Save the Children wouldn’t “succumb” to financial audits and recommended imposing restrictions until cooperation with the Interior Ministry could be ensured.
The documents in question originate from Gaza’s security agencies, which fall under the Hamas Interior Ministry, responsible for law enforcement within the territory.
Previously, Hamas’s control over humanitarian organizations, notably the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), has also come to light. Israel asserts that at least 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, assault that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis.
