Israel’s internal security service says it has arrested a senior employee of international charity World Vision who it says funneled millions of dollars of the group’s funds to Hamas.
The Shin Bet says Thursday that it arrested Mohammed Halabi, a manager at World Vision in Gaza, in June. It says Halabi transferred up to $50 million dollars over the years to Hamas, which rules Gaza.
The Shin Bet says Hamas used the funds to build tunnels and military posts and to purchase arms.
The agency says Halabi used a “systematic and sophisticated mechanism” to siphon off funds that included submitting inflated receipts and falsely listing Hamas operatives as workers on World Vision projects.
It says World Vision humanitarian aid to Gaza was largely diverted to Hamas operatives and their families.
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