Defense Minister Israel Katz imposed sanctions on a fundraising campaign financing a flotilla called the “Global Sumud Flotilla – the Second Mission”, which Israel says is organized by Hamas alongside other international organizations under the guise of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Under the cover of raising funds to purchase ships, the operation uses illegal methods and lacks transparency, according to Israeli officials. Recently, activists and leaders in the organization were arrested and detained in Tunisia and elsewhere around the world on suspicion of running a money laundering and corruption network.
The sanctions are another layer in the broader economic campaign Israel’s security establishment is waging, alongside the United States, against Hamas and against attempts “to undermine security stability in the Gaza Strip.” The move was developed after intensive joint work by the Israeli Navy, Military Intelligence Directorate, and the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing at the Defense Ministry.
The flotilla, which set out from several countries including Turkey, Spain, and Italy, includes over 100 ships and about 1,000 participants. It effectively violates UN Resolution 2803, which determined that aid to the Strip must enter through accepted official channels only.
A statement from the defense minister’s office said the sanctions on the crowdfunding campaign represent a significant step in the fight to disrupt the flotilla’s funding sources, which Hamas is organizing under the guise of a humanitarian flotilla, and is intended to deter donors from contributing to a terrorist organization.
The law grants the defense minister authority to confiscate the property of terrorist organizations or assets used to finance them. The goal of the measure is to paralyze the organization’s economic infrastructure and thwart serious terrorist offenses, using legal tools that allow seizure of property used to carry out hostile activity.