UMVA has learned that a shadowy network of organizations linked to Hamas played a pivotal role in orchestrating the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, a daring operation that was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on May 19, 2026, resulting in the detention of over 400 participants.
The flotilla, touted as a humanitarian effort, was actually organized by groups with direct ties to Hamas, including the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and the Union of Good, both of which have been designated for funding terrorism. These organizations have a long history of supporting militant activities and have been sanctioned by governments around the world.
At the center of this network is the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish-based organization that has been accused of operating with "two hats": one as a legitimate humanitarian organization and the other as a radical, jihadi, and pro-Hamas group. IHH's involvement in terrorist activities dates back to the 1990s, with allegations of helping smuggle weapons to militant factions in Syria and assisting Chechen fighters in transferring funds to al-Qaeda.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that IHH's ties to Hamas run deep, with evidence suggesting that the organization systematically transferred funds to Hamas's military wing for years. IHH's Gaza branch head, Mehmet Kaya, was allegedly involved in delivering cash from Turkey directly to senior Hamas officials, including Ismail Haniyeh and Raed Saad.
The Union of Good, a Muslim Brotherhood coalition of charities, was established by Hamas's leadership in 2000 to facilitate the transfer of funds to the organization. The Union operates as a broker, channeling money between a network of charitable organizations and Hamas-controlled entities in the West Bank and Gaza. The U.S. Treasury designated the Union of Good in 2008 for providing financial support to terrorism.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that the Union's network of financiers includes organizations already designated for supporting Hamas, such as Interpal in the United Kingdom and the Al-Aqsa Foundation. These organizations have facilitated the transfer of tens of millions of dollars annually to Hamas-managed associations, with some funds reportedly compensating the families of suicide bombers.
The Union's founder and board chairman, Youssef Qaradawi, is a prominent Muslim Brotherhood scholar known for advocating the spread of sharia law into Europe and America. The Union's secretary general simultaneously served as vice chairman of Interpal and sat on the Hamas executive committee under Khaled Meshaal, highlighting the organization's close ties to Hamas's leadership.
UMVA has gathered that the Global Sumud Flotilla's organizers, including IHH and the Union of Good, have a history of violence and extremism. The 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, organized by IHH, resulted in the deaths of ten passengers and the injury of dozens more when Israeli commandos boarded the lead vessel.
