World Vision’s Gaza chief Mohammad El Halabi faces allegations following arrest
A humanitarian charity working in Israel and Palestine said it was “shocked” to learn one of its officials had been charged with diverting funds to Hamas.
The charges were levelled against Mohammad El Halabi, operations manager in Gaza for the World Vision charity, 50 days after he was arrested by Israeli authorities.
According to a statement obtained by the Guardian from Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet, El Halabi funnelled tens of millions of dollars from the charity’s coffers to Hamas “to strengthen its terrorist arm”.
The statement goes on to allege Halabi “established and promoted humanitarian projects and fictitious agricultural associations that acted as cover for the transfer of monies to Hamas”.
We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence
World Vision, which has been working in the region for 40 years, denied any involvement with terrorism and called for a “fair and legal” process with regards to the allegations.
In a statement, the charity said: “World Vision was shocked to learn of these charges against Mohammad.
“World Vision subscribes to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality and therefore rejects any involvement in any political, military or terrorist activities and maintains its independence as a humanitarian aid agency committed to serving the poor, especially children.”
The charity claimed it had “detailed procedures and mechanisms” in place to ensure donations were spent properly and in ways that “contribute to peace” rather than “fuel conflict”.
“World Vision programmes in Gaza have been subject to regular internal and independent audits, independent evaluations, and a broad range of internal controls aimed at ensuring that assets reach their intended beneficiaries and are used in compliance with applicable laws and donor requirements,” the statement went on to say.
“We will carefully review any evidence presented to us and will take appropriate actions based on that evidence. We continue to call for a fair, legal process.”
World Vision is a Christian charity active in more than 90 countries with a revenue of US $2.79bn and around 45,000 staff.
