Two documents found in Gaza ‘prove Hamas’s direct involvement’ in funding and organizing flotilla, agency says
Newly discovered documents connect Hamas to two key organizers of Greta Thunberg’s Global Sumud Flotilla and reveal that dozens of the fleet’s boats are owned by the terror group, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
One document released by the agency showed a list of operatives in the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an Israeli-designated terror group that counts Hamas terrorists and flotilla leaders among its members. It included Saif Abu Kashk, the CEO of Cyber Neptune, which Israel’s Foreign Ministry called a Hamas front company in Spain that “owns dozens of the ships participating in the ‘Sumud’ flotilla.”
“Thus, these ships are secretly owned by Hamas,” the ministry added.
The second was a letter from Ismail Haniyeh—the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 massacre, who Israel assassinated last year—sent to the head of the PCPA, urging unity between the two groups. It was sent in 2021, the same year Israel accused the PCPA of operating as a wing of Hamas and designated it as a terrorist organization.
The revelations are just the latest to rock Thunberg’s flotilla. It had already faced delays and a mysterious fire when several participants last week publicly blasted organizers after a “queer activist” joined their cause. Thunberg herself dropped from the steering committee, though it’s unclear whether she was ousted or left on her own accord.
The PCPA, formed in 2018, “functions as Hamas’ representative body abroad, operating de facto as Hamas’ embassies,” according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “The organization operates under the pretense of civilian cover and is responsible, on behalf of Hamas, for mobilizing actions against Israel, including violent demonstrations, marches against Israel, and demonstration and provocation flotillas.”
The newly exposed list of PCPA members also includes Zaher Birawi, who chairs the group’s United Kingdom branch and has organized flotilla missions to Gaza over the past 15 years. He’s also been pictured alongside Haniyeh, and Israel in 2013 identified him as a Hamas operative working in Europe. The Jewish state also accused his nonprofit, EuroPal Forum, of having ties to Hamas and designated it as a terror group in 2021.
The flotilla is roughly 150 miles from Gaza. Israel has promised to stop the fleet from entering “an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade.” The Jewish state intercepted the flotilla’s last attempt earlier this year, resulting in a viral photo of Thunberg smiling as an Israeli soldier handed her a challah sandwich. Another activist aboard that fleet, Thiago Ávila, attended the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and shared a photo with Leila Khaled, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine member and notorious plane hijacker.
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