Israeli court finds Gaza aid worker guilty on terror charges

Source: Associated Press

Israeli court finds Gaza aid worker guilty on terror charges

By EMILY ROSE and JOSEPH KRAUSS
June 15, 2022

BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — An Israeli court on Wednesday found a Gaza aid worker guilty of several terrorism charges in a high-profile case in which his employer, independent auditors and the Australian government say they have found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Mohammed el-Halabi, the Gaza director for the international Christian charity World Vision, was arrested in 2016 and accused of diverting tens of millions of dollars to the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules the territory. The trial, and his prolonged detention, have further strained relations between Israel and humanitarian organizations that provide aid to Palestinians.

Both he and World Vision have denied the allegations and an independent audit in 2017 also found no evidence of support for Hamas. His lawyer, Maher Hanna, has said el-Halabi turned down several plea bargain offers on principle that would have allowed him to walk free.

El-Halabi has not yet been sentenced. World Vision said he would appeal the ruling, which was largely based on classified information that has not been made public but was shared with the defense.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/hamas-middle-east-israel-6ef42e32548f58c0d74b36bc5920136c

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Related: UN rebukes Israeli court after it finds charity worker guilty of aiding Hamas (The Telegraph)