UK humanitarian aid to Gaza scrutinized after document allegedly warns of links to Hamas-controlled ministry

A recently surfaced U.K. government papers has raised caller concerns implicit British-funded humanitarian assistance to Gaza, suggesting officials were alert of the hazard funds mightiness indirectly enactment Hamas. the violent radical that governs the Gaza Strip. 

While U.K. officials powerfully contradict the claim, critics accidental cardinal questions stay unanswered.

The document, dated November 2022 and obtained by NGO Monitor, outlines the U.K.'s humanitarian strategy successful the occupied Palestinian territories. One conception references a UNICEF-administered currency assistance programme successful Gaza coordinated with the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD). 

The NGO Monitor study claims, "The MoSD successful Gaza is affiliated with the de facto authorities and frankincense U.K. Aid tin beryllium linked straight oregon indirectly with supporting the de facto authority successful Gaza (Hamas), which is portion of a proscribed group." 

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The IDF said 121 trucks of assistance from "the U.N. and the planetary community" crossed into Gaza May 28, 2025. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The group's study besides claimed the British consulate-general successful Jerusalem, which reportedly authored the document, assessed this arsenic a "reputational" risk, raising concerns not of legality, but of nationalist cognition if the statement were to beryllium revealed. 

Anne Herzberg, ineligible advisor astatine NGO Monitor, told Fox News Digital the phrasing is significant. 

"This is what was astir shocking to us," she told Fox News Digital. "The authorities intelligibly acknowledged the hazard that U.K. payer funds could scope Hamas, but they were much acrophobic astir however it mightiness look than the existent information of supporting terrorism."

Herzberg explained NGO Monitor uncovered the Foreign Office document, primitively published successful November 2022, during an extended probe into humanitarian assistance flows successful Gaza. 

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy astatine the British ambassador's residence successful Washington Sept. 13, 2024, earlier a gathering with President Joe Biden.  (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)

In a connection to Fox News Digital, the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) categorically denied immoderate backing reached Hamas-controlled bodies.

"We categorically cull these allegations. The U.K. does not money Hamas-run agencies successful Gaza," an FCDO spokesperson stated. "The UNICEF program is coordinated with the Ministry of Social Development successful Ramallah, which is tally by the Palestinian Authority. U.K. backing was provided done UNICEF straight to susceptible households successful Gaza."

The FCDO stressed that Hamas is simply a proscribed violent enactment nether U.K. law, "and backing oregon supporting it is simply a crime." It further noted that the U.K. conducted a due-diligence appraisal of UNICEF and tracks the way of backing to its last civilian recipients.

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But Herzberg said the November 2022 papers — alongside UNICEF’s ain March 2024 update celebrating its "strengthened concern with the Ministry of Social Development" successful Gaza — points to deeper inconsistencies.

Yona Schiffmiller, the director of research at NGO Monitor, told Fox News digital, "The U.K. papers intelligibly refers to the Gaza-based MoSD. If the programme was lone coordinated with Ramallah, it’s unclear wherefore Gaza-specific risks were flagged."

A antheral holds a wad of Israeli shekels successful Gaza. (Majdi Fathi/TPS)

UNICEF’s March 2024 study states that implicit 540,000 Gazans received enactment aft the Oct. 7 attacks, adding the concern with the MoSD "helped guarantee entree to the societal registry and resulted successful targeting the astir susceptible families." NGO Monitor points retired that the MoSD successful Gaza is led by Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas politburo subordinate sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury successful 2024.

Herzberg said the study claims "this assistance diversion was cardinal successful Hamas’ preparations for the October 7th massacre, including the operation of tunnels and different subject installations, and stockpiling supplies and resources. After thousands of terrorists invaded Israel and committed wide atrocities, Hamas continued to commandeer aid, creating and taking vantage of a achromatic market."

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"Even aft Oct. 7 and each we’ve been seeing ... they inactive garbage to woody with this question of diversion," Herzberg claimed. "There’s nary transparency, nary oversight, and the U.N. is actively trying to thwart Israeli, U.S. and different allied efforts successful trying to amended the humanitarian assistance situation."

She was referring to the caller U.S.-backed inaugural to found a caller assistance organisation strategy successful Gaza that started operating Monday.

The NGO Monitor study further details however the MoSD is tally by elder Hamas officials, including Ghazi Hamad, who publically praised the Oct. 7 massacre and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury successful November 2024. Another apical MoSD figure, Mohammed Al-Araeer, has repeatedly glorified violent attacks connected societal media and praised Hamas commanders.

Hamas terrorists instrumentality up positions up of a hostage merchandise successful Deir al-Balah, cardinal Gaza Strip, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)

A caller probe by Israel’s website, "Shomrim," and Israel’s Channel 12 revealed that Hamas has built an extended fundraising web wrong the U.K. Senior Hamas operatives with British citizenship person established charitable foundations that rise millions of pounds annually, immoderate of which ends up successful the hands of the group’s subject wing. 

Udi Levi, formerly caput of the Counter-Terror Financing Division successful the Mossad, told Israel’s Channel 12, "Britain is becoming the cardinal state transferring funds to Hamas, including aft Oct. 7."

The watchdog besides raised broader concerns astir the relation of different U.N. agencies successful Gaza, noting astatine slightest 12 are progressive successful the Strip. Herzberg said it remains unclear whether akin diversion risks beryllium crossed those agencies.

"We each cognize however UNRWA has been taken implicit by Hamas, but what astir the others? Is the aforesaid happening happening there? These are the types of questions nary 1 is consenting to answer," she said.

Memorials astatine the tract of the Oct. 7 Hamas panic onslaught connected the Supernova euphony festival adjacent Kibbutz Re'im, Israel, May 27, 2024.  (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The contention unfolds against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions. Last month, the U.K. suspended commercialized negotiations with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns. Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized the Israeli government’s actions successful Gaza and called for restored assistance and electricity.

NGO Monitor says the statement highlights the urgent request for a caller planetary mechanics to oversee assistance transportation successful Gaza, 1 that bypasses Hamas-controlled institutions and ensures civilian assistance is protected from exploitation.

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"The contented isn’t conscionable ineligible compliance — it’s motivation responsibility," Herzberg said. "Western donors should beryllium taking each precaution possible. So far, that hasn’t been the case."