On Thursday, Israeli officials reported that millions of pounds worth of charity money donated to the Christian charity World Vision were taken and redirected by the Islamic terror group Hamas for its own purposes. Around $80,000 donated by people in the UK was used to build a military base for Hamas warriors.
“$80,000 received from the United Kingdom went to construction costs of the base, paid in cash, while salaries were paid to terrorists who worked in the construction of the base,” said Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet.
The money was essentially stolen, as Hamas placed its own operative, Mohammed El-Halabi, within the charity itself to exploit the massive amounts of Western dollars pouring into the Palestinian territories. This mole managed to rise to the rank of director, controlling the flow of donation dollars into Gaza. He ultimately used his position to divert approximately $7 million a year to Hamas.
The Telegraph reports, “Around 60 per cent of the funds meant to ease suffering in the Gaza Strip were instead diverted to paying Hamas salaries and readying the group for war with Israel, according to the Shin Bet.”
World Vision is one of the largest Christian charities in the world. The philanthropic organization boasts an annual budget of $2.6 billion with the help of world-famous donors, including former US President Bill Clinton and celebrities Scarlett Johansson and Justin Bieber.
Israeli authorities are investigating how a Hamas operative could have infiltrated such a world-renowned charity.
Inexplicably, World Vision is standing behind its employee, an alleged Hamas operative accused of stealing charity dollars. “Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true,” stated the charity. In short, World Vision is suggesting that Israeli authorities are lying.
According to Israel, El-Halabi is a lifelong member of the Islamic terror group, Hamas. He received military training in the early part of the 2000s before he was asked by Hamas leadership “to infiltrate” the charity in 2005.
He stands accused of funneling $43 million into Hamas’ pockets over the last six years.
