Jewish World Update Mar/Apr 2026

Arabic Documents show Hamas Blackmailed NGOs, Weaponized Humanitarian Aid
(All Israel News)—Newly released documents reveal how Hamas exploited international humanitarian organizations in Gaza to weaponize humanitarian aid and establish a framework of coercion, intimidation, and surveillance of the humanitarian system for terror purposes.

The documents, covered in a report by the Israeli organization NGO Monitor, show that Hamas took control of humanitarian projects and budgets by blackmailing and recruiting workers from international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

NGO Monitor’s report was based on dozens of official documents in Arabic from Hamas’s Ministry of Internal Security, which describe how Hamas gathered information on senior employees in international aid organizations and built a network of trusted agents inside the NGOs working on its behalf. These agents ensured that aid entering Gaza was tailored to the terrorist organization’s needs.

The documents, which date from 2018 to 2022, were recovered by Israeli soldiers and military intelligence units inside Gaza during the Gaza War. The report details how Hamas’s Interior Security Mechanism unit had oversight and, in some cases, control over projects carried out in the Gaza Strip.

One of the main mechanisms for this activity was through the use of “guarantors,” Gazans selected by Hamas who serve as points of contact between the terror group and the NGOs.

Hamas required that the guarantors hold senior administrative positions, ensuring access to the highest levels of the NGOs’ local branches and operations. While international aid organizations were often aware of Hamas’s influence, they hid its deep involvement in operations from the governments and public that supported their work.

In the documents, senior Hamas officials describe how official representatives of leading NGOs, such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, were blackmailed into cooperation. These representatives allowed Hamas to closely monitor and influence the NGOs’ activities, exploit their resources for military purposes, and circumvent Western governments’ prohibitions on direct contact with Hamas.

Hamas itself specified that at least 11 of the 55 names appearing in the analyzed documents had ties to terrorism—including official members, activists, and employees of Hamas’s government agencies. For people defined as “non-cooperators,” Hamas operated a sophisticated blackmail system of collecting personal information and spying.
The documents show how representatives within aid organizations used “Hamas-approved” beneficiary lists to distribute financial aid—lists that were then used by the United Nations and aid organizations without further scrutiny. This way, Hamas could ensure that aid reached its affiliates.

NGO Monitor notes that Hamas’s infiltration was so effective that none of the aid organizations ever reported it. Rather, scrutiny and criticism were directed at Israel, with many accusing it of delaying or disrupting their activities.

“NGOs operating in Gaza are fully aware of the realities of working under Hamas rule,” NGO Monitor stated. “Instead of disclosing the coercive conditions under which they operate, NGOs consistently omit or downplay Hamas’s violations, refusing to expose how deeply the terror group has infiltrated, distorted, and exploited the humanitarian space.”

“Governments and international organizations plan to transfer billions of dollars to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and will work in cooperation with a range of non-governmental organizations to rebuild infrastructure; provide municipal services such as electricity, water, and education; and probably also distribute grants and cash payments,” Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor, said. “We now know which local organizations and associations supported the Hamas terror regime, and we call on the Israeli government and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to thoroughly examine the activities of the organizations that will be allowed to provide aid to Gaza.”

For news about Israel updated daily, visit foi.org/news.