British aid group reviewed over ‘links to Hamas charity’

By the Editorial Team · Monday, October 26, 2026

The Charity Commission is investigating the British human rights charity Restless Beings over allegations that it collaborated with Merciful Hands, a Gaza-based organisation sanctioned by the US for ties to Hamas. This inquiry highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of UK charities accused of links to groups allegedly supporting terrorism, with potential implications for oversight and funding in the sector.

A British human rights charity based in east London, Restless Beings, is under review by the Charity Commission amid allegations of links to a Gaza-based organisation controlled by Hamas. The commission has opened a formal case following the submission of a dossier alleging that Restless Beings shared staff and aid workers with Merciful Hands, a charity sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in January as a specially designated global terrorist entity.

The investigation centers on claims that Restless Beings collaborated with Merciful Hands, which US officials accuse of acting as a front for Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. According to the US Treasury, Merciful Hands purports to provide medical care to Palestinian civilians but instead supports Hamas by receiving funding and operational directives from its military branch.

The dossier, submitted by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), includes links to promotional videos posted by Merciful Hands between 2022 and 2024, showing aid workers wearing Restless Beings uniforms delivering aid alongside the sanctioned organisation. In addition, the UK charity’s branding appeared on aid packages and banners featured in these materials. The dossier also highlights that Nura Barzaq, identified as a public relations officer for Merciful Hands, has appeared in Restless Beings’ fundraising and promotional videos from 2022 to 2025, although Restless Beings stated that Barzaq is neither a registered volunteer nor employed by the charity and that it cannot account for all of her activities on behalf of other groups.

Restless Beings denies any connection to terrorist organisations. A spokesperson said that their relationship with Merciful Hands was limited to a partner organisation in Gaza that had collaborated with Merciful Hands several years ago, prior to the US sanctions, and that this may explain the presence of their branding in some of the videos. The charity emphasized that it does not have employees in Gaza.

This case is part of broader scrutiny of British charities allegedly linked to groups associated with Hamas. Earlier this year, the Charity Commission revealed that it was investigating The Al-Khair Foundation, one of the UK’s largest Muslim aid charities. US law enforcement agencies claim that Al-Khair has been used as a front to finance Hamas and are seeking to extradite Mohammad Yousef Hasna, its global director, who was arrested in London. Al-Khair has denied any wrongdoing.

The Charity Commission reiterated its commitment to investigating any alleged associations between charities and terrorism or unlawful extremism. It did not provide further comment on the ongoing inquiries. Restless Beings has firmly rejected the allegations made against it as false.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.