Earlier this month NGO Monitor published a report based on documents found in the Gaza Strip.
“The 2018-2022 Arabic-language documents originate from the Gaza Interior Security Mechanism (ISM), a unit within the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security (MoINS). The documents were removed from Gaza and then declassified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).”
Those documents highlight Hamas’ manipulation of foreign NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip, including by means of “guarantors”.
“A central mechanism by which Hamas maintains control over NGO activities in Gaza is through “guarantors.” Local Gazans, approved by MoINS, serve as the point of contact between Hamas authorities and NGOs. Hamas requires that such “guarantors” hold senior administrative positions, such as director, deputy director, or board chair, ensuring access to the highest levels of the NGOs’ local branches and operations.”
While that story was covered by Israeli media outlets, the BBC has to date shown no interest in informing its audiences about the report’s findings, not least in relation to NGOs it regularly quotes and promotes such as ‘Medical Aid for Palestinians’ (MAP) or the ‘Norwegian Refugee Council’.
“MAP-UK’s “administrative director” in Gaza who works in “the positive,” a known term for Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and “is affiliated with Hamas and has pledged allegiance to its rule.” Moreover, MoINS detailed that “he is employed in the [Hamas-affiliated] Islamic University [of Gaza],” and that “his circle of friends is from the Hamas movement.””
“Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Gazan Administrative Director, who “supports the Hamas movement but is not affiliated with the movement,” and “He is employed by the government of Gaza and has the rank of Naqib (Hamas rank for captain).””
As regular readers are no doubt aware, the BBC all too often ignores its own editorial guidelines concerning ‘Contributors’ Affiliations’ when promoting claims made by supposed humanitarian organisations such as MAP and the NRC or their representatives, with the result being that audiences are not informed either of NGOs’ “affiliations, funding or particular viewpoints” or their political activities. Moreover, in May 2025 BBC Radio 4 facilitated a fund-raising appeal for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
BBC audiences would clearly benefit from being told about Hamas’ manipulation of aid groups operating in the Gaza Strip and the connections of some of their employees to that terrorist organisation and others. Although such information would undoubtedly help readers, listeners and viewers to assess the reliability and impartiality of claims sourced from such NGOs and amplified by the corporation, the BBC has so far shown no interest whatsoever in the story.
