Leaked UK Report Admits Hamas Role in Gaza Aid Distribution via UNICEF

A newly leaked report has ignited controversy over the UK government’s humanitarian funding practices, revealing that British officials were fully aware Hamas would control the distribution of aid provided through UNICEF operations in Gaza. According to documents obtained by Israel’s Channel 12, a 2022 report titled “The British Humanitarian Support Plan for the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” prepared by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), explicitly acknowledged that the aid would be implemented “in coordination with the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Development (MoSD).”

The internal document further states that UNICEF planned to “work closely with the ministry on cash” assistance, raising serious concerns about indirect support for Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the UK, the US, the EU, and other nations. The report warns that such funding connections, if made public, could “cause serious damage to Britain’s reputation,” suggesting that British officials knowingly took on the reputational and ethical risks involved.

Channel 12’s investigation points to a much broader issue, alleging that Britain has effectively become a primary Western financial pipeline for Hamas. Over the past decade, UK-based charities are said to have funnelled hundreds of millions of pounds to Hamas-related entities, with an estimated 25% of Hamas’s non-state funding believed to originate from Britain. Former Shin Bet official Oz Noy commented, “Hamas is strong in Britain because they’ve grown used to operating there with relative impunity. Their financial systems for fund transfers, laundering, and profit generation are remarkably advanced.”

The revelations come at a time of growing tension between Israel and several Western allies. Last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron in calling for Israel to halt its operations in Gaza. In a swift rebuttal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused them of standing “on the wrong side of justice, humanity, and history.”

As scrutiny over international aid to Gaza intensifies, this report raises critical questions about accountability, oversight, and the unintended consequences of humanitarian assistance being manipulated by designated terrorist entities. The UK government has not yet issued a formal response to the leaked findings.