A British charity has been accused of “collaborating with Hamas” and employing a commander from the terror group.
Birmingham-based Global Relief Trust (GRT) — whose last accounts say it has an income of £7 million — may face a formal investigation by the Charity Commission, which is examining the claims.
GRT has long supported medical services in the Hamas-controlled Strip but, according to a report published this week by the Gnasher Jew digital investigative unit, its Gaza manager, Ahmed Yusuf Alloh, also holds the rank of lieutenant-colonel within Hamas.
The report claims that Alloh is the chief of the Operations and Emergency Command at Hamas’s Military Medical Service.
It also alleges that GRT’s head of development, Atiqur Rahman, repeatedly applauded the October 7 atrocities.
The online investigator includes photos of Alloh fulfilling his civilian role for GRT but also, it claims, wearing a Hamas uniform.
As well as Gaza, GRT works in countries including Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Pakistan. Its accounts, filed at the Charity Commission, say it has 15 employees and 30 volunteers.
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GRT’s head of development, Atiqur Rahman
Among its roles in Gaza is supplying ambulances and fire engines.
The Gnasher Jew report includes social media posts said to show Alloh distributing cash to Hamas Military Medical Service staff. One is a screenshot of a X/Twitter post issued by the GRT during the present conflict saying the service’s staff “work tirelessly” when what it terms a “genocide” is taking place.
It adds: “Alhumdulihah [thanks to God] we provide cash donations to the frontline paramedics.”
The report claimed that this amounted to evidence that GRT “collaborates with Hamas”.
Both the military and civilian wings of Hamas are proscribed as a terrorist organisation under UK law, which means it would be a criminal offence to support it financially.
The GRT’s development chief Rahman, who has also served as one of its trustees, greeted the October 7 attacks with a Facebook post stating: “Fighters from Gaza have entered Israel… fight on the streets of occupied Palestine. Several Israeli soldiers taken hostage. End game is prisoner swap.”
The following day he posted a lengthy justification for the atrocities, saying they were the result of “16 years of aggression and treating people like animals”. He urged his readers to “just remember, over 2 million Palestinians have been kept in prison in Gaza. So when the media and western governments calls a side terrorists, know who is actually the terrorist and how it’s been funded.”
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Rahman greeted the October 7 attacks with a controversial Facebook post (Photo: Facebook/Gnasher Jew)
Rahman was approached for comment. GRT said it “acknowledges the recent allegations that have been brought against us in what is currently a highly charged environment.
“We are aware of a number of Muslim organisations, charities, and individuals that have been unduly targeted in recent weeks, where there has been a spike in Islamophobic incidents.
“We are currently undertaking an internal investigation to establish facts and understand what if any action is needed. We shall employ an independent firm of solicitors who will help us in this task and shall provide a timetable for reporting back.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson told the JC: “We are aware of concerns reported about the Global Relief Trust, and are assessing the information to determine if there is a role for the Commission and any next steps.”
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