UK charity accused of making payments to group 'linked to Hamas' - urgent investigation launched

The investigation comes as We Care faces scrutiny over "substantial payments" made to its trustees and their companies, which the Commission says were not properly disclosed.

Pro-Israel campaigners allege that Qawafil targets much of its aid to the widows and orphans of dead Hamas fighters.

We Care has recently launched a major fundraising campaign for Qawafil, which has already raised more than £250,000 towards a £600,000 target.

The campaign is being run through GiveBrite by trustee Shazia Malik.

Videos produced by Qawafil have raised concerns, with footage allegedly showing crowds parading coffins of "martyrs" whose families receive support.

One video is said to depict an orphaned boy brandishing a toy gun in a new flat provided by the organisation.

UK Lawyers for Israel has written to the Charity Commission stating: "Qawafil is well known amongst aid workers for supporting only Hamas-affiliated widows and orphans."

The Charity Commission has frozen We Care Foundation's bank accounts after finding undisclosed payments to trustees and their companies that "had not been adequately explained."

A Commission spokesman said: "We are already investigating, within the scope of our ongoing inquiry, past payments by the charity to its partners and its relationships with other organisations, including the Qawafil Al Khair Association."

The regulator confirmed that We Care's accounts "remain frozen while our comprehensive investigations continue".

The investigation is also assessing information received from UK Lawyers for Israel about We Care's links to Qawafil.

We Care has continued its fundraising activities while the investigation is ongoing.

The Qawafil Al Khair Association was founded in 2015 by two convicted Palestinian fighters, Mansour Rayan and Ali Al-Mughrabi.

Al-Mughrabi was killed earlier this month in Khan Younis by an Israeli Defense Forces missile strike.

He had been convicted for his role in a 2002 Jerusalem suicide bombing that killed 11 people, before being released in a 2011 prisoner swap.

Rayan, also freed in the 2011 swap, had been imprisoned for the 1994 murder of Israeli settler Yoram Sakuri, whom he stabbed to death in his West Bank home.

Rayan has been accused of praising the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and led to Israel's invasion of Gaza.

UK Lawyers for Israel has expressed serious concerns about a British charity supporting an organisation with potential links to Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK.

Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, told The Telegraph: "If a UK charity is funding an organisation in Gaza that specialises in helping the widows and orphans of Hamas fighters, then this amounts to assisting Hamas, a terrorist organisation."

She added: "The Israeli government recognised that Qawafil Al Khair was a Hamas entity and therefore designated it. When We Care fundraises for Qawafil, it is tantamount to fundraising for Hamas."

The legal group believes We Care is "knowingly passing funds to a terrorist-linked charity in Gaza."

We Care Foundation strongly denies the allegations in a statement, saying they "categorically deny the unfounded allegations suggesting that we have knowingly funded any organisation linked to terrorism."

The charity emphasises it operates with "full transparency" and in strict compliance with Charity Commission regulations.

"Our collaboration is focused solely on delivering vital humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities in Gaza, including widows, orphans, and displaced families," the statement reads.

The charity also noted that it operates under UK law and does not "adhere to laws or designations made by foreign governments such as Israel."

We Care says it welcomes any inquiry into its operations and is "confident in the integrity of our processes."

A Commission spokesman stated: "It is unacceptable to fund any illegal activity, including terrorism, and where we find it within charities, we will continue to take action."

The spokesman added that such cases are "rare," noting that "hundreds of UK charities providing vital support in the most challenging and hostile environments across the world."