An Israeli court has sentenced the Gaza director of an international charity to 12 years in prison on allegations of funnelling aid money to Hamas, the end of a high-profile case mired in controversy and largely held in secret.
Disregarding UN concerns over a lack of evidence in the six-year case, the district court in the southern city of Beersheba said Mohammad el Halabi, who had been Gaza’s director for World Vision International, would have to serve six years in prison taking into account the deduction of the amount he was held during the trial.
Palestinians, rights groups and aid workers allege the lengthy trial, much of it held behind closed doors, is part of a broad Israeli effort to undermine vital relief and civil society groups in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
— source theguardian.com | Ben Lynfield | 30 Aug 2022