Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency says Waheed Borsh, 38, an engineer working for the United Nations development agency UNDP in the Gaza Strip since 2003, was indicted on Tuesday.
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Palestinians who benefitted from World Vision aid in the Strip gathered outside the World Vision headquarters in Gaza City, demanding that Halabi, whom they dubbed “humanity’s savior”, be released from Israeli custody immediately.
Hazem Qasem, a spokesman for Hamas, denied the Israeli allegations and said Messrs.
Tory MP Sir Eric Pickles said: “It is deeply worrying when the British public make donations to World Vision and think that they are giving it to help poverty, and to help children’s interests”.
When researchers raised these issues at an global conference in 1986, a World Vision staffer from the United Kingdom said it was “immoral” to publish such information because of the negative impact it would have donations.
The organization’s programs in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip include counseling hundreds of pregnant women on childhood health, providing training for language and math teachers, and leading vocational training for young people.
This case – along with last week’s case in which Hamas operative Mohammed El-Halabi infiltrated the World Vision humanitarian aid NGO in order to divert funds and other resources for use in Hamas’ military/terrorist efforts – demonstrates how Hamas exploits the resources of worldwide aid organizations at the expense of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. But according to declassified intelligence reports, these supplies are routinely stolen by Hamas in order to serve the group’s terrorist purposes.
In addition to directing material support to Hamas, Borsh allegedly helped the group keep its weapons and materiel after they were found in United Nations locations.
Through his work as an engineer, Borsh allegedly directed the UNDP to work on projects that would benefit Hamas.
The UNDP is tasked with projects to help the Strip’s inhabitants, including projects to rehabilitate homes damaged in warfare. In 2015 he allegedly persuaded managers to focus on rebuilding houses in areas where Hamas members lived after the group put pressure on him.
Shin Bet has also alleged that other aid workers – in a number of organizations – were also working for the Gaza-based resistance group. On Tuesday, Borsh was formally charged in a Beersheba court for assisting Hamas.
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International Christian humanitarian organization World Vision said Monday that allegations from Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency that the organization’s Gaza Strip director, Mohammed El Halabi, siphoned about $7.2 million a year to the Islamic militant group Hamas over a period of five years does not add up. Hamas dismissed the new allegations as a bid by Israel, which along with neighbouring Egypt blockades Gaza, to control the enclave. “These Israeli claims are baseless and the objective of these claims is to justify the continued siege on Gaza”.
