The Shin Bet security agency says it has arrested an employee of Christian relief group World Vision for funneling tens of millions of dollars to the Hamas terror group since 2010.
Mohammad Halabi, indicted today, was detained some six weeks ago at the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip.
According to the agency, Halabi, 38, a resident of Gaza, was recruited by the terror group in 2004 and tasked with infiltrating the World Vision organization. Halabi was appointed to an administrative position by the aid relief group, and transferred US and European donations earmarked for humanitarian relief to the terror group.
The funds were used to pay the salaries of Hamas employees, including bonuses for those who fought Israel in the 2014 Gaza war. The Shin Bet agency says these funds — estimated at 60% of the money designated for Gaza — were also used to build attack tunnels.
On June 28, World Vision posted the following statement on its website: “World Vision stands by Mohammad who is a widely respected and well regarded humanitarian, field manager and trusted colleague of over a decade. He has displayed compassionate leadership on behalf of the children and communities of Gaza through difficult and challenging times, and has always worked diligently and professionally in fulfilling his duties.”
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 4, 2016
