In a shock to the world's largest Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision has learned that its operations manager in Gaza allegedly funnelled tens of millions of charity dollars to fund Hamas terrorists and its military wing.
According to Israeli security officials, Shin Bet, World Vision staffer Mohammad El Halabi confessed to providing 'support to Hamas'.
A statement by the domestic security agency on Thursday read that El Halabi diverted the humanitarian organization's funds and resources "from the needy to benefit of Hamas's terrorist and military activities."
The news has come as a shock to World Vision, who has said that it has no reason at the moment to believe the claims.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, President of Israeli legal rights institute Shurat HaDin, claimed the accusations should come as no surprise to "World Vision's leadership."
"For years we have been warning that World Vision is funding Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. World Vision has repeatedly denied our charges and refused to seriously investigate where its funds are going," he said.
"Who knows how many of Hamas' missiles and stabbing attacks were funded by World Vision after they were put on notice that they were financing Palestinian terror."
Gerald Steinberg, the president of NGO Monitor, an Israeli watchdog group, also backed the allegation, stating that poor Hamas "couldn't build those terror tunnels and run its operations without funding from foreign humanitarian aid organizations."
Australia swiftly announced its suspension of funding to the relief group's operations in the Palestinian Territories after allegations surfaced.