ISA: Hamas is Exploiting Turkish Aid for Military Purposes
(Communicated by the ISA)

The following has been cleared for publication:

Actions taken by the Israeli Security Agency, with the assistance of the
Israel Police, led to the February 2017 arrest and interrogation of Muhammad
Murtaja (see attached photo; credit ISA), born in 1977 and a resident of
Gaza. Murtaja is the coordinator of the Gaza branch of the Turkish
Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TÄ°KA) organization, a humanitarian
assistance program run by the Government of Turkey. He was arrested on
suspicion of working for the military wing of Hamas.

During its investigation, the ISA ascertained that Muhammad Murtaja was
recruited by Hamas at the end of 2008. Beginning in 2009, Murtaja was active
in the military wing of Hamas. His activity included, inter alia, military
training and exercises, manufacturing weapons and explosive devices and
digging terror tunnels. Murtaja even stored weapons, such as hand grenades
and guns, in his home.

During the investigation, it became clear that Murtaja’s trip via Israel to
receive training from TÄ°KA, which led to his arrest for interrogation, was
also intended to allow him to acquire information that would improve the
accuracy of Hamas rockets being launched at Israel.

It was further discovered during the investigation that, beginning in 2012,
Murtaja served as the Gaza Strip coordinator of TÄ°KA. TÄ°KA works on behalf
of the Turkish government to advance humanitarian projects in the Gaza
Strip. The investigation showed that Murtaja deceived TÄ°KA by misusing the
organization’s resources and funds, which were intended for substantial
humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip, by diverting them to Hamas’s
military wing. This fraud was carried out in collusion with the senior ranks
of Hamas in Gaza, headed by Ismail Haniyeh.

The investigation uncovered the various techniques Murtaja used. For
example, he would give his superiors in TÄ°KA a list of impoverished
residents in the Gaza Strip who were candidates to receive financial aid. In
fact, Hamas senior officials provided these lists to Murtaja, and most of
the so-called “needy” people on them were actually terrorists in the Hamas
military wing or their family members. In this manner, they received
benefits and stipends.

Another scheme used by Muhammad Murtaja uncovered in the investigation
enabled millions of shekels to be diverted to members of the Hamas military
wing during and after Operation Protective Edge. For instance, food aid
packages donated by TÄ°KA for the destitute population in the Gaza Strip were
given to members of the Hamas military wing. In addition, when Operation
Protective Edge ended, the organization financed a public event, at which
Hamas military members were awarded stipends and benefits.

It was further revealed that the Turkish Ä°HH Humanitarian Relief Foundation
helped to directly fund the activities of the Hamas military wing. Ä°HH was
designated in 2008 by Israel as a terrorist organization because of its
support for Hamas. The investigation uncovered that Mehmet Kaya, the
coordinator of IHH's Gaza office, gave Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Raad
Saad cash from Turkey that was earmarked for the Hamas military wing. The
money transferred by the IHH to the Hamas military wing was used, inter
alia, to build a facility to train Hamas marine forces, as well as to
purchase equipment and weapons. For years IHH methodically transferred funds
this way to the Hamas military wing to be used for its military buildup.

Murtaja provided a great deal of operative information during the
investigation, including on tunnel routes, the methods used by Hamas in
digging the tunnels, action plans for fighting, and weapons manufacturing.

Murtaja’s interrogation provides broad exposure to the methods used by Hamas
in acquiring resources for its buildup and in the operative military sphere.
This information, combined with a great deal of information obtained in the
investigations of Hamas military members over the past year, show the
considerable efforts invested by Hamas in preparing for a military
confrontation with Israel, at the expense of the humanitarian situation in
Gaza.

This investigation demonstrates the diverse fraudulent methods used by Hamas
vis-à-vis the international community and humanitarian aid organizations.
These acts of fraud, involving the highest levels of Hamas leadership,
divert money and resources meant to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip and the
destitute population therein. This fraud gives Hamas more room to use all
its material and economic resources for acts of terror and military buildup.