Israel sanctions fundraising campaign for Gaza flotilla over Hamas links

The ministry pointed to reports that members of the Global Sumud Flotilla network were recently detained in Tunisia on suspicion of money laundering and corruption. 

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz imposed sanctions on a fundraising campaign aimed at financing a flotilla to Gaza, which Israeli defense officials say is organized by Hamas under humanitarian cover. The Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The measures target the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) “Second Mission,” an initiative reportedly including more than 1,000 participants on 100 vessels that recently departed from Turkey, Italy and Spain.

Jerusalem said the flotilla serves as a cover for Hamas-linked fundraising activity. Most of the vessels are currently in the area of Crete.

The Israeli Navy is making plans to intercept the ship, which is expected to approach Gaza waters during the weekend.

Documents found in Gaza and released in September by Israel’s Foreign Ministry traced direct Hamas involvement in organizing and financing the Sumud flotilla to break the Israeli blockade of the Strip.

One document, a letter from 2021 signed by Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, explicitly endorses the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an organization founded in 2018 and operating under civilian cover.

Israel has designated the PCPA as a terror organization. A second document contains a detailed list of PCPA activists, including senior Hamas figures directly involved in the flotilla operations.

The ministry further pointed to reports that members of the Global Sumud Flotilla network were recently detained in Tunisia on suspicion of money laundering and corruption.

Meanwhile, the flotilla is further strained by allegations of sexual misconduct. In mid-April, the Palestinian group Heart of Falastin accused a senior GSF figure of sexually abusing several volunteers aboard one of the boats after it departed Barcelona in April.

Social media subsequently identified the man as Brazilian national Thiago Avila, the GSF’s international coordinator. Avila denies wrongdoing.

After Israel intercepted 44 boats in October, organizers admitted none of the vessels carried aid for the Strip.

Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically launched flotillas to challenge the blockade.

In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7.

On Sunday, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that more than 1.5 million tons of food has entered the Strip since October 10, 2025, when a ceasefire with Hamas took effect.