A Gaza-based nonprofit organization with alleged ties to the son of a Hamas leader received nearly $1 million in aid from the United States government, according to a report. Alarmingly, one of the grants from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was disbursed less than a week before the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel.
The organization, Bayader for Environment and Development Association, has secured $900,000 from USAID over seven years, with the most recent grant of $15,219 paid out on October 1, 2023, just six days before the Hamas attacks that left 1,200 Israelis dead.
Bayader, which claims to work on environmental projects and rehabilitate polluted areas in Gaza, is associated with Abdul Salam Haniyeh, the son of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who organized the terror attack on Israel, according to a report by the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank.
“Hamas keeps an artificial distance between its leadership and these charities exactly so grants such as this USAID money and Islamic Relief funding is made possible,” said Sam Westrop, director of Middle East Forum’s counter-terrorism program. “In practice, however, these charities operate as arms of Hamas, building its infrastructure projects.”
The charity was established in 2007 in Khan Unis, Gaza Strip, shortly after Hamas took control of the region. According to the think tank, Bayader operates in “close cooperation” with the Hamas regime, citing the organization’s 2021 annual report which detailed multiple meetings and coordination with Hamas leaders.
Bayader’s financial director, Abd Rabbo Saeed Abu Haddaf, publicly mourned the death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Ahmed Abu Deka, referring to him as a “brother and friend.” Abu Deka served as the deputy commander of the Al-Quds Brigades’ rocket forces, a designated terrorist organization.
Additionally, Bayader’s “project coordinator” Ahlam Jama shared social media posts mourning the death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata in 2019.
The group has been receiving funds from USAID since 2016, with its largest single payout from the federal government agency totaling $423,736 in 2021.
Bayader’s funding is routed through a group of US nonprofits, which are required to thoroughly vet the foreign organizations receiving the grants. US charities that have acted as sponsors for Bayader include Catholic Relief Services, International Medical Corps, and Global Communities, according to public records.
Despite the concerns raised about Bayader’s alleged ties to Hamas, USAID has praised the charity’s work in the West Bank and Gaza, with one of its veteran officials, Jonathan Kamin, even posing with the charity’s leaders in Gaza.
The revelation of US aid being provided to an organization with potential links to a designated terrorist group has sparked outrage and raised questions about the effectiveness of vetting processes and the potential for funds to be diverted or misused, particularly in conflict zones.
