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The terror group Hamas has covertly targeted scores of Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charities operating in Gaza – to infiltrate the organizations, steal aid, and attempt to control their operations, according to a respected watchdog organization.

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The shocking allegations are contained in confidential Hamas documents from 2018-2022 period, and seized by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza, according to NGO Monitor.

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The documents were translated from the original Arabic and reveal Hamas’ campaign to manipulate and coerce humanitarian organizations – often without their direct knowledge, says the research group.

In its voluminous report on the Hamas-Canadian connection, NGO Monitor said: “(The Hamas documents) describe the Stasi-like tactics employed by Hamas to manipulate and coerce humanitarian structures, including NGO operations. The documents originated with the Gaza Interior Security Mechanism (ISM) – a unit within the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security (MoINS) responsible for surveillance, counter-espionage, political dissent, civil defense, border crossings, enforcement of Islamic law, and handling of prisoners in Gaza.”

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The NGOs and charities collectively received millions in funding from Canadians or the federal government, says NGO Monitor, which the office of Mark Carney did not confirm or deny.

An IDF spokesman, however, has verified the authenticity of the documents.

Among the Canadian-funded NGOs said to have been targeted by Hamas for surveillance, infiltration or clandestine control were Action Against Hunger (AAH), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Handicap International (HI), Islamic Relief Worldwide, Médecins du Monde (MdM), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children, and World Vision.

According to the report, Hamas would attempt to insinuate itself into the NGOs through what it called “guarantors.” With the exception of CRS, all are registered Canadian charities (CRS is a US-registered NGO).

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NGO Monitor says that some of the NGOs and charities were unaware of the Hamas infiltration effort.

The report says targeted “guarantors” were mostly local Gazans who were selected by Hamas, and would serve as the terror group’s main points of contact within the humanitarian organizations. These individuals would sometimes be found at senior levels – directors, deputy directors or even board chairs – and would be expected to provide Hamas with confidential information about planned activities and expenditures, as well as internal documents, it says.

A guarantor at the Canadian-funded Handicap International was an actual Hamas member, NGO Monitor alleges – as well as one at Catholic Relief Services was “affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),” one December 2022 Hamas document reads.

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The PFLP is a designated terrorist entity in Canada.

According to NGO Monitor, between 2019 and 2021, Canada allocated $4 million to Handicap International, and $22 million in 2024. Catholic Relief Services was granted $2.2 million by Canada in 2022, says the research group.

The office of the Prime Minister did not respond to requests for information about the reported grants.

Asked for comment, Handicap International stated that it had no evidence of Hamas infiltration.

Catholic Relief Services did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

MSF, for its part, said it could not comment until they could guarantee the “provenance” of the documents.

And Save the Children maintained it is “an independent, impartial humanitarian organization.”

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“As a regulated aid agency, we take our sanctions compliance obligations extremely seriously and have specific, context-based controls in place to ensure our resources are not diverted to sanctioned organizations and that any interaction with governing authorities is permitted by law,” Save the Children said.

The trove of documents also contains allegations that Hamas was particularly focused on controlling the activities of the Canadian-funded NGOs.

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One extraordinary December 2022 document detailed in the NGO Monitor report, branded with the logo of Hamas’ Ministry of International and National Security, reads: “These (guarantors) can be exploited for security purposes, in order to infiltrate foreign associations, their foreign senior staff and their movements on the field inside the Gaza Strip.”

The 30-page, single-spaced NGO Monitor report contains forensic detail about the “guarantors” Hamas has reportedly targeted. It reveals information about where the Gazan citizens are said to work, their home address, their financial status, their spouse’s name and job, their religious observations and family life.

Some of the targeted NGOs are also assessed by Hamas for the amount of “cooperation” they give, according to the document.

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The document indicated a “guarantor” associated with one NGO, the International Medical Corps, was deemed to be “not cooperating” with Hamas’ operation.

But the December 2022 document includes considerable detail about their preferred “guarantor” there, himself allegedly a member of the terror group: “His religious and moral commitment are good, and he comes to pray in (the) mosque … There are no security or moral observations on him … (He is) always traveling to the occupied interior (i.e. Israel) and the West Bank. Was committed for a long time in the area (for Hamas operations), and was one of the supporters of Hamas. He is currently a Naqib (Hamas rank for captain) in the Daawa in the … mosque.”

The documents go on to describe the man’s wife, his parents, his favoured border crossings, his “social circle” and when he last received a “Hawala money transfer from abroad.” Hawala is an informal method of transferring money across borders that is popular in the Arab world and is done without moving physical cash or using the traditional bank system.

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The December 2022 document purportedly contains extensive details of Hamas surveillance, offering extraordinary detail about the private lives of the “guarantors” it hoped to recruit or coerce. Background checks were run on the Gazans, and some were even interrogated by Hamas, said NGO Monitor’s President Gerald Steinberg, adding: “The publication of the guarantor records kept by Hamas makes it impossible for NGO officials to continue to … deny the blatant evidence of large-scale humanitarian aid diversion.”

Another document, from June 2021, alleges that Oxfam worked with a Hamas-linked group on an infrastructure project – one that “appears to have contributed to Hamas military preparations.”

Just this week, the former head of Oxfam in the United Kingdom announced that she is suing the charity, accusing it of racism, sexism and antisemitism. Halima Begum, who has noted that she is Muslim, is the former Oxfam CEO and last week said Oxfam was wrong to accuse Israel of genocide.

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Oxfam in the U.K. has refuted Begum’s legal claims.

Oxfam U.K. acknowledged receiving this newspaper’s questions but referred them to their Canadian branch.

Their External Affairs Specialist Laveza Khan said: “Oxfam takes the risk of aid diversion extremely seriously in Gaza as we do in all areas of our operations globally. We have clear policy and processes in place in order to prevent and respond to any risks or allegations. Oxfam has no links to Hamas, or any other Palestinian armed groups. Hamas does not control, direct, or influence our programming work. No Oxfam funding goes to Hamas, or any other Palestinian armed groups.”

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NGO Monitor’s Gerald Steinberg said: “Going forward, the Canadian government, like other officials in other countries, must take responsibility for the abuse of millions in taxpayer funds under the banner of humanitarian aid. This means hiring substantial independent auditing teams instead of relying on NGO self-reporting that is inaccurate and deceptive.”

“The vetting and oversight over all aid organizations and projects must be rigorous and transparent, particularly in regions like Gaza that are controlled by terror regimes,” he added.

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