Charity Commission probes Al-Khair Foundation over alleged Hamas links

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Al-Khair Foundation after it received a complaint alleging the charity and its partners had connections to the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas.

The investigation comes after a complaint alleged links between Al-Khair Foundation, its partners, and the terror group.

The Charity Commission responded by restricting financial transactions to safeguard charitable funds during the inquiry.

The charity’s website states it is” a UK-based international NGO providing emergency relief and developmental support in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.”

The charity has denied any wrongdoing and states that it is cooperating fully with the Commission’s investigation.

It maintains that all its activities are humanitarian and in accordance with UK law.

The Commission has now escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry.

It is aware that Mohammad Yousef Hasna, an individual employed by an organisation that the Al-Khair Foundation works with to deliver aid in Gaza, has been arrested in the UK and charged by US authorities for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas.

The regulator said it will be considering all relevant information as part of its investigation, which will include verifying his connection to the charity, and wider allegations made about the charity.

The charity recorded an income of over £74 million pounds in the financial year ending 31 July 2025.

Due to the concerns of possible serious risk to charitable funds, the Commission has issued a legal order restricting certain financial transactions by the charity without the Commission’s prior consent.

The Commission’s legal order means the charity must now obtain prior consent from the regulator before making certain financial transactions, in order to prevent potential misuse of charitable assets while the inquiry is ongoing.

The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity.

It will seek to establish the nature and extent of the charity’s links to Hasna, whether trustees have carried out appropriate checks and due diligence on international partners and whether trustees are effectively monitoring the end use of funds internationally and have appropriate policies and procedures in place to protect funds from risk of misuse.

It will also assess whether any failings or weaknesses identified in the administration of the charity are due to misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees.

In a statement after the arrest of Yousef Hasna, the Foundation said:”Al Khair Foundation is aware that Mohammad Yousef Hasna, an employee of one of our implementing partner organisations overseas, was detained during a visit to the United Kingdom on 31 July on suspicion of terrorism offences.

“Al Khair Foundation is a humanitarian organisation established in 2003.

“We are a proudly British, UK-registered charity with a distinguished record spanning more than two decades of delivering humanitarian assistance and alleviating poverty and suffering in more than 75 countries worldwide. We take our responsibility to safeguard the funds entrusted to us by our generous donors with the utmost seriousness and are committed to ensuring they are used for their intended humanitarian purposes.

We are committed to delivering humanitarian assistance in accordance with our charitable objectives, humanitarian principles and all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Our work is guided by Islamic values of compassion, integrity and service to those most in need. “