JERUSALEM — Israel’s internal security agency said Thursday it has arrested a senior employee of the international aid group World Vision in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of siphoning millions of dollars of the charity’s funds and transferring them to the Islamic militant group Hamas.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s internal security agency said Thursday it has arrested a senior employee of the international aid group World Vision in the Gaza Strip, accusing him of siphoning millions of dollars of the charity’s funds and transferring them to the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Mohammed el-Halabi established a “systematic and sophisticated mechanism” to divert up to $50 million over the years to the militant group, which rules Gaza, creating fictitious humanitarian projects and doctoring inflated receipts in order to get the funds to Hamas, said the Shin Bet.
El-Halabi, whose actions helped Hamas build illegal underground tunnels and purchase weapons for terror attacks, was charged on Thursday, the Shin Bet said.
World Vision, an international Christian aid group with headquarters in Washington state and the United Kingdom, works in nearly 100 countries.
The organization said in a statement on its website that it was “shocked” by the allegations and said it has “no reason to believe” they are true but will “carefully review any evidence presented to us” and “take appropriate action based on that evidence.”
Australia announced late Thursday it was suspending funding to the group until the investigation was complete.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said that Kent Hill, a senior official with World Vision, was holding meetings in Israel over the accusations.
The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were private.