Former Oxfam chief claims charity has ‘toxic antisemitic culture’

The former head of Oxfam GB has accused the charity of having a “toxic antisemitic culture,” claiming it focused disproportionately on Gaza and pushed internally to describe Israel’s actions as “genocide” before, she said, the organisation had reached a position based on evidence and legal advice.

Dr Halima Begum, who left Oxfam in December after around 18 months as chief executive, made the claims in an interview with Channel 4 News ahead of an employment tribunal, in which she said she was unfairly forced out of the role.

Begum said she became increasingly concerned that the charity was not applying the same standards to Gaza as it did to other humanitarian crises. “It’s important to work around the rule of law and to maintain that the international rule of law must not be compromised. But we have to show consistency with other crises that are taking place in the world,” she said. “It always felt that we were disproportionately working around the crisis in Gaza.”

She also described internal pressure to use the term genocide earlier than she believed was appropriate. “(There was) quite strong push back (within the organisation) when we were not ready yet to use the word ‘genocide’,” Begum said. “To use the word ‘genocide’, it has to be something we arrive at with consultation and evidence of good legal advice and try and use that term before we are ready as an organisation feels quite risky to me.”

In her tribunal claim, Begum also accused the charity of racism and sexism, including claims that inappropriate remarks were made by board members during meetings.

Questions have previously been raised about Oxfam GB’s approach to Gaza under Begum’s leadership. In July last year, the charity was criticised after taking part in a House of Commons panel event featuring a Gazan who had publicly praised Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades on 7 October. The event, held in a parliamentary committee room and organised with SNP MP Brendan O’Hara, saw the speaker tell MPs and journalists: “Palestine will resist. We will resist until the liberation.” Oxfam later said it did not endorse the speaker’s views and condemned all violence against civilians, but confirmed it had partnered on the event to provide what it described as a first-hand account of life in Gaza.

Oxfam later adopted the term genocide to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza in the summer of 2025 and accused the Israeli government of blocking humanitarian aid.

Begum’s departure followed an external review commissioned by Oxfam’s board of trustees, which examined complaints about her leadership. The review found “serious issues in the (Begum’s) leadership behaviour and her decision making, including breaches of organisational processes and values, and inappropriate interference into safeguarding and integrity investigations”.

Begum has rejected the findings, saying she was not given a fair chance to respond and only learned of the detailed allegations after reading about them in the media. “They were never really shared with me, so there was no natural justice in this process,” she said. “I was quite shocked to see allegations of this kind for the first time in the newspapers.”

Responding to her claims, Oxfam GB said it “abhors antisemitism and vehemently condemns the rise in antisemitic sentiments and hate-fuelled violence”.

The charity added: “We unequivocally and categorically reject any allegation of antisemitism which runs counter to Oxfam’s core humanitarian principles of impartiality and humanity.”

Oxfam said it was “very hard to reconcile” Begum’s claims about internal pressure over Israel, stating that a review of correspondence found no evidence her concerns had been raised formally with trustees. It said its position on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory had been “clear and consistent for decades” and guided by a rights-based approach supporting civilian protection and just peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

Begum, who was appointed in 2024 on a £130,000 salary, says she was “forced to resign” in December after her position was deemed “untenable”. Oxfam said it has not yet received her employment tribunal claim.