JERUSALEM โ Hamas maintained a formal and organized system of infiltration inside major international humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, according to a new report by the research institution NGO Monitor. The findings are based on dozens of internal Hamas documents that, for the first time, map out how the terror group embedded trusted operatives within NGOs to monitor their activities, shape decisions, and divert aid.
The documents, analyzed and authenticated by NGO Monitor, describe how Hamas assigned official points of contact, referred to internally as โguarantors,โ to work directly with global NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council. These individuals were positioned as senior administrators within the NGOs and served to coordinate with Hamas authorities in Gaza.
According to the report, many of these guarantors were not simply approved by Hamas but were themselves members, supporters, or employees of Hamas entities. At least ten such officials held positions inside international or local partner organizations while simultaneously working for Hamas or its affiliated bodies.
NGO Monitor found that these embedded operatives played a direct role in producing Hamas-approved beneficiary lists for cash assistance distributed by the United Nations and other aid agencies. The report states that in several cases these individuals facilitated theft, diverted supplies, or used their influence to obstruct compliance with international standards.
โThe bottom line is that Hamas controls all humanitarian operations in Gaza, both on an institutional level and on an individual one,โ the report concluded. โThere is no freedom of operation for NGOs in Gaza.โ
The documents provide the clearest evidence to date supporting Israelโs longstanding contention that Hamas exploits humanitarian aid frameworks. Israeli officials have for years warned that NGOs in Gaza faced systemic infiltration, although many humanitarian groups publicly rejected such claims and often attributed restrictions on their operations to Israeli policy.
โThis research is timely and highly consequential,โ said Prof. Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor. โGovernments and international organizations are planning to provide billions of dollars for the rebuilding of Gaza. They will partner with numerous NGOs to reconstruct infrastructure, provide municipal services, and likely distribute cash payments.โ
Steinberg said the findings should guide vetting of NGOs that may seek funding or operational roles in the coming reconstruction phase. โWe now know which NGOs and their local affiliates have been propping up the Hamas terror regime. Our research provides a central dimension as the US and its allies vet potential partners best suited to preventing a repetition of the travesty by which Hamas controlled the aid frameworks,โ he stated. โFor the Israeli government, including the IDF, this analysis highlights the importance of measures to carefully screen the involvement of NGOs authorized to provide aid.โ
International NGOs cited in the report have not yet issued formal responses addressing the allegations. Previously, many groups have said their activities in Gaza faced operational challenges, which they frequently attributed to Israelโs security restrictions. According to NGO Monitor, none of the organizations publicly acknowledged Hamas infiltration or disclosed any internal safeguards against such manipulation.
The new evidence emerges at a time of growing scrutiny regarding global funding for Gaza following the October 7 massacre and renewed concerns about aid diversion. As governments debate future reconstruction plans, the report is expected to influence oversight mechanisms and conditions attached to international funding.
NGO Monitor stated that all documentation reviewed for the report was verified and cross-referenced with publicly available records. The organization emphasized that the research was conducted using credible sources and internal materials originating from Hamas itself.
