The New York Post reported that a Gaza-based nonprofit tied to the son of a Hamas leader received nearly $1 million in aid from the US government — with one grant arriving less than a week before the Oct. 7 terrorist strikes on Israel, according to a report.
Bayader for Environment and Development Association has secured $900,000 from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) over seven years.
The most recent grant, for $15,219, was paid out on Oct,.1, 2023, six days before the Hamas attacks on Israel which left 1,200 Israelis dead.
The NY Post added that Bayader, which works to help children and rehabilitate polluted areas in Gaza, according to its website, is associated with Abdul Salam Haniyeh — a son of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who organized the terror attack on Israel, according to a report last week from Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank.
“Hamas keeps an artificial distance between its leadership and these charities exactly so grants such as this USAID money and Islamic Relief funding is made possible,” said Sam Westrop, director of Middle East Forum’s counter-terrorism program. “In practice, however, these charities operate as arms of Hamas, building its infrastructure projects.”
Photo: Abdul Salam Haniyeh (second from the left), son of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, is pictured at a an event announcing the development of a sports center in Gaza last year. A member of Hamas, his official title is Assistant Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. (Bayader Association for Environment and Development)