Details of such investigations and confessions, often gathered after a lengthy period under interrogation and with no initial access to a lawyer, are nearly impossible to independently verify. This is not Israel’s fault, as building supplies flow regularly into Gaza. It has played a significant role in reconstructing the Palestinian enclave after three wars in eight years between Israel and Hamas. As a result, worldwide aid officials and Israeli analysts predict that Israel and global donors will increase pressure on aid groups to improve those checks – which will cost money and manpower, and could strain the organizations’ ability to operate.
Advertisement
It is fitted with sophisticated communications equipment for surveillance and is an entry point to secret tunnels used to smuggle weapons and launch attacks on Israel.
In a statement, Shin Bet claimed Borsh had redirected UNDP aid allocations to Hamas’ military activities, including the construction of a jetty on the Gaza coast for use by Hamas naval units.
He also allegedly helped Hamas hide weapons and materials that were kept in United Nations houses and did not report them, in a violation of United Nations procedures.
During that same year, he “worked to persuade UNDP managers to prioritize the rehabilitation of housing in areas populated by Hamas members, following a request he received from Hamas”.
Notably, according to Borsh, other Palestinians who work for aid organizations are also working for Hamas. She said World Vision performs stringent internal audits and commissions external audits from outside companies as well.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim told NPR that the allegations were made by “an enemy entity that has no credibility at all to us”, and that “Israel is trying to make fake media wins”.
Israel informed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office and the UNDP director in NY of Mr Bursh’s arrest and details from his indictment, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Borsh said when tunnel openings were exposed in houses handled by the UNDP, Hamas would take control and confiscate weapons and other materials in violation of United Nations procedures, which mandate that UNMAS, the United Nations body responsible for dealing with remnants of war, be immediately notified.
“The rubble removal project was established to respond to the consequences of the 2014 hostilities in Gaza”. Estimates are that one tunnel can cost a million dollars to build and uses around 50,000 tons of concrete. “The allegations concerning Mr. Al Bursh by the Israeli authorities refer to 300 tons of the more than one million tons removed, or 7 truckloads out of a total of almost 26,000”.
Today, World Vision suggested the amount of money Israel has accused Mohammed el-Halabi of diverting to Hamas doesn’t add up.
Palestinian staff of the United Nations Development Programme drive an official vehicle in front of its headquarters in Gaza City on Tuesday.
Borsh confessed that he carried out various tasks for Hamas, the Shin Bet said. Who wants to donate to a child welfare organization whose goods are being used by a group like Hamas?
The president and CEO of World Vision Keith Jenkins says the group is investigating but, on their face, the numbers don’t support the scope of the alleged theft.
Global aid charity World Vision said it is “shocked” by alleged links of its manager of operations in Gaza to the Palestinian organisation Hamas.
In total, Israel said more than $7 million per year – 60 percent of World Vision’s annual budget for the Gaza Strip – was diverted to Hamas.
Hamas has denied that Halabi was a member.
Advertisement
The compound in the north of the Gaza Strip is operated by the military wing of Hamas.
