Activity

• Australian international aid is managed through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).¹
• In 2024-2025, the Australian government committed AUD 63.7 million to projects in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The anticipated budget for 2025-2026 is AUD 31.6 million.
• A number of NGOs that receive Australian funding lead campaigns and political activities that are inconsistent with Australian government policies to promote peace and a two-state framework in the Arab-Israeli conflict. These NGOs are centrally involved in anti-Israel BDS campaigns and lawfare.

Developments Since the October 7th Atrocities

• According to the Australian government, since the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, it has been “providing funding through UN agencies, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which have strong procedures in place to manage risks and comply with counter-terrorism financing and Australian sanctions laws.”
• According to a September 2025 Development Cooperation Factsheet, “Our annual $32 million bilateral development commitment focuses on inclusive economic growth and provision of basic services. Since 7 October 2023, Australia has also committed over $130 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict affected civilians in Palestine and Lebanon.” As of August 2025, this included:
  • “$42 million to provide essential support and services with a focus on women and children, delivered through UN agencies such as UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
  • $24 million through the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to provide food, water and medical care in Gaza and the region.
  • $16 million for life-saving food assistance through the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
  • $7 million to support healthcare services, including the provision of medical supplies to enable the operation of field hospitals, delivered through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO).
  • $6 million to provide essential assistance for refugees, delivered through UN agencies including the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA).
  • $3 million to support humanitarian access, including via critical humanitarian corridors, coordinated by the UN Office of Project Services (UNOPS).
  • $2 million for relief support delivered in partnership with the UK.”

Australian Middle East NGO Cooperation Agreement (AMENCA)

• Initiated in 2005, the Australian government’s “Australian Middle East NGO Cooperation Agreement” (AMENCA) project is a “key component of Australia’s bilateral aid to the PTs [Palestinian Territory] and the vehicle for a decade of collaboration between Australian and Palestinian civil society partners.”
• The program operated in three phases:
  • Phase I (2005–2009) and Phase II (2009–2015) focused on livelihoods, service delivery, and strengthening NGO capacity. Phase II allocated approximately AUD 35.5 million through Australian NGO partners including World Vision Australia, CARE Australia, APHEDA, and ActionAid Australia.
  • Phase III (2016–2021) (“AMENCA 3: Palestinian Farmers Connecting to Markets”), with approximately AUD 32 million in funding, was implemented by a consortium of APHEDA, CARE Australia, and Oxfam Australia.
• Across all phases, Australian NGOs partnered with multiple Palestinian organizations active in BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns and other forms of anti-Israel demonization, including some that have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization: the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Ma’an Development Center, Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ), Economic and Social Development Centre (ESDC), Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association (ASALA), and the Institute for Community Partnership (ICP).
• In October 2023, the Australian government published a review of its funding to Palestinians claiming, “The Australian Government paused its funding to NGOs in Gaza in November 2021 due to risks NGOs may be pressured into paying fees and taxes to the de facto authority, Hamas” (emphasis added).

APHEDA and Ma’an Development Center

• According to APHEDA’s 2019-2020 annual report, its AMENCA-3 partners were “MA’AN Development Center, The Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association – Asala, and the Institute for Community Partnership of Bethlehem University.” (See more on APHEDA below.)
  • In May 2018, Ma’an Development Center employee Ahmad Abdallah Aladini was killed in the violence on the Gaza border. On May 15, 2018, Ma’an Development Center posted on Facebook a memorial notice for Aladini, referring to him as a “colleague and martyr.” (Ma’an has since removed the post.) Aladini was a “comrade” of the PFLP, a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. According to the PFLP, Aladini was active against the “Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip.” On his Facebook page, Aladini posted PFLP propaganda, including images that glorify violence and terrorists.
  • In June 2018, Ma’an Field Coordinator in Ramallah Hamza Zbeldat mourned the loss of a PFLP member, describing him as “my master” and as a person who “taught me.”

CARE and Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)

• CARE partnered with Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem (ARIJ). (See more on CARE below.)
  • ARIJ is among the leaders of the political warfare against Israel, seeking to further boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS), false accusations of Israeli “apartheid” and “racism,” and support for a Palestinian “right of return” that is inconsistent with two-state solution.
  • In April 2019, ARIJ released a “Daily Report” that included the classic antisemitic attack on the Talmud in its rhetoric used against Jews. The report claimed that “over 250 settlers, stormed an archaeological site in Al-Jib village…and performed Talmudic rituals” and accused Jews of performing “Talmudic rituals in celebration of Jewish holidays” and performing “Talmudic rituals in the town.” In a February 2017 report, ARIJ claimed that the “Talmudic rituals” were in “blatant provocation to local residents.”

Oxfam Australia and Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)

• Oxfam Australia partnered with the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees. (See more on Oxfam below.)
  • PARC’s rhetoric includes accusations of “apartheid,” “collective punishment,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “war crimes.”
  • According to PARC’s “2014-2018 Strategic Plan,” one of PARC’s strategic goals is “Holding the occupation accountable towards Palestinian rights related to the agricultural sector and rural areas” by “Boycotting…Israelis’ settlement products” and “Supporting the cooperation and coordination with the boycott committees.”
  • Judeh Deeb Ibrahim Jamal, founder of PARC, was formerly the General Director of Qatar Charity. In 2015, the Israeli Military Court convicted him for his activity in the Qatar Charity – an illegal organization in Israel due to its ties to Hamas – and for his transferring of funds to Hamas (on file).

World Vision

• World Vision was receiving funds under AMENCA-3 until the arrest of its manager of operations in Gaza for diverting funds to Hamas. According to an October 2018 document published by the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific, “World Vision has still not resumed receiving development assistance from DFAT for its projects in the PTs (Palestinian Territories), undermining Australia’s goals of encouraging agricultural growth, particularly in the Gaza Strip where World Vision is the only NGO to operate under the AMENCA program.”
• On June 15, 2016, Mohammad El-Halabi, a manager of operations for World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza, was arrested by Israeli authorities. He was accused of diverting approximately 60% of the World Vision’s Jerusalem West Bank Gaza budget to the terrorist organization for tunnels and fund other terrorist activity. The siphoned funds amount to approximately $50 million.
  • According to the indictment against him, El-Halabi used fictitious humanitarian projects and agricultural associations to act as a cover for the hijacking of monies and materials to Hamas.
  • On June 15, 2022, the Be’er Sheva District Court convicted El-Halabi for diverting aid money and resources from World Vision to Hamas. In August 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
  • Following the arrest of and conviction of World Vision’s director of Gaza operations, Mohammed el-Halabi, World Vision Australia declared, “We have not seen anything that makes us question our conclusion that Mohammad is innocent of all the charges.” Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia at the time of el-Halabi’s arrest, insisted, “He was an innocent man…he said ‘I didn’t do anything,’ and he didn’t.” In the Sydney Morning Herald, (June 16, 2022) Tim Costello and Conny Lenneberg presented their version under the headline “Guilty verdict against World Vision hero is a travesty of justice.”
  • Following the allegations against and arrest of El-Halabi, the Australian government announced the suspension of funding to World Vision projects in the West Bank and Gaza. As of 2026, this funding has nbot been renewed.
  • On February 1, 2025, el-Halabi was released as part of the Hamas-Israel agreement to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
    • Upon his release, World Vision Australia’s former Chief Executive Tim Costello claimed, “He was an innocent man. He pleaded not guilty even when he was encouraged to plead guilty because he would have got far less time. But he said ‘I didn’t do anything,’ and he didn’t.”
• Internal Hamas documents corroborate el-Halabi’s identity as a Hamas operative, and detail the terror group’s efforts to delay and obstruct his trial. Hamas authorities monitored the trial, including deploying a source to attend closed-door hearings and report back on proceedings.²
• Documents describe efforts to identify potential witnesses, including scrutinizing World Vision Gaza staff and cross-referencing internal “security” databases.
• For more information, read NGO Monitor’s report, “Hamas’ World Vision Operative and the Campaign to Obstruct His Trial.”

Union of Agricultural Works Committee (UAWC)

• In 2005-2013, as part of AMENCA Phases 1 and 2, Union of Agricultural Works Committee (UAWC) received AUD 2.3 million from Australia via World Vision.
  • In February 2012, Shurat HaDin (The Israel Law Center) sent legal warnings to the Australian government and World Vision Australia accusing them of funding UAWC, a terrorist group. According to Shurat Hadin, “The Union of Agricultural Work Committees is an integral part of the proscribed terror organization, the PFLP, that Australian citizens and corporations are prohibited from providing support to.”
  • In light of these findings, World Vision Australia suspended activities with UAWC.
  • In May 2012, the Australian government announced that it conducted an “examination” and found that “There is no evidence to support claims that AusAID funding of UAWC through World Vision has been in breach of the UN Charter Act.”
• The Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC) is identified by Fatah as an official “affiliate” and by USAID-engaged audit as the “agricultural arm” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. UAWC is also highly active in promoting BDS campaigns and utilizing inflammatory rhetoric. For more information on UAWC’s PFLP ties, read NGO Monitor’s report “Union of Agricultural Work Committees Ties to the PFLP Terror Group.”
  • Samer Arbid, UAWC’s accountant from 2016 until his arrest in 2019, was indicted on 21 counts in Israeli military court. Arbid is on trial for commanding a PFLP terror cell that carried out a bombing, murdering an Israeli civilian, and injuring her father and brother. According to the indictment against him (on file), Arbid prepared and detonated the explosive device. On August 30, 2020, the PFLP referred to Arbid as a “prisoner and commander,” and “one of the heroes of the Bubeen operation” — referring to the August 2019 bombing.

Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)

• ANCP, a project of DFAT, is the Australian government’s “longest running and largest NGO program.” It provides funding to accredited local Australian NGOs to support projects in over 50 countries.
• In 2025-2026, ANCP granted AUD 129.9 million to 61 NGOs, of which AUD 1.3 million was distributed to the “Palestinian Territories.”
• According to ANCP, in order to receive funding, “NGOs must pass a rigorous accreditation process that assesses an NGO’s development approach, governance, program management capacity, partner management, risk management and links with the Australian public.”
• NGOs that have received funding through the ANCP include Act for Peace, ActionAid Australia, CARE Australia, Oxfam Australia, and World Vision Australia.

APHEDA

• APHEDA is the overseas aid agency of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
• In 2025-2026, APHEDA is receiving AUD 1.3 million from ANCP.
• APHEDA leads “fact-finding” trips to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, disseminating an anti-Israel narrative to Australian politicians.
• According to a May 2025 APHEDA article, “Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA is currently supporting MA’AN’s Capacity Building for Cooperatives project which also receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and the Australian Education Union.”
  • In October 2023-January 2025, APHEDA “provided $1,010,000 AUD to MA’AN in support of their humanitarian aid response to the war in Gaza.”
• In July 2018, Australia suspended funding to APHEDA after it was revealed that members of a terrorist organization were being employed by one of the NGO’s partners. The funding resumed in 2019 after “an independent audit by Deloitte on behalf of DFAT” found “no evidence of the diversion of Australian government funds from correct project purposes, or to any sanctioned entity.”
• In August 2011, APHEDA was criticized by Australian Senator Eric Abetz for its work with a pro-BDS Palestinian NGO Ma’an Development Center. (See above for more information on Ma’an.)

World Vision Australia

• In 2025-2026, World Vision Australia is receiving AUD 28.7 million from ANCP.
• World Vision Australia has financially supported the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network, which was established “by church leaders who saw a particular role for Christians to advocate from a faith perspective about Palestinian human rights.”
  • The Ecumenical Network “find[s] inspiration and direction from the Kairos Palestine document,” which calls for BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) against Israel; denies the Jewish historical connection to Israel in theological terms; and rationalizes, justifies, and trivializes terrorism, calling it “legal resistance.”

Act for Peace

• In 2025-2026, Act for Peace is receiving AUD 1.9 million from ANCP.
• Act for Peace is the aid agency of the Australian Council for the World Council of Churches (WCC) and acts as the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).
• According to its website, “EAPPI is managed by Act for Peace.” On return to Australia, EAPPI “work[s] with the Act for Peace team, other returned Accompaniers and advocacy groups to develop and implement an awareness-raising and advocacy plan.”
  • The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was founded by the World Council of Churches (WCC). EAPPI sends volunteers to the West Bank to “witness life under occupation.” Upon completion of the program, the volunteers return to their home countries and churches where many engage in anti-Israel advocacy, including advocating for BDS campaigns in churches, comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany, and other delegitimization strategies.
• In May 2022, Act for Peace was a signatory on a statement referring to the “Nakba” as a “continuous international crime…The continuation of the Nakba reflects the extent of international complicity with the Israeli-Zionist colonial and apartheid regime in Palestine.”

Oxfam Australia

• In 2025-2026, Oxfam Australia is receiving AUD 4.6 million from ANCP.
• Oxfam consistently paints a highly misleading picture of the Arab-Israeli conflict, departing from its humanitarian mission focused on poverty. Most Oxfam statements erase all complexity and blame Israel exclusively for the situation, and these distortions and their impacts contribute significantly to the conflict.
• In October 2025, Oxfam Australia called on the Australian government to “stop all direct and indirect sales of Australian made and/or designed weapons to Israel.”

CARE Australia

• In 2025-2026, CARE Australia is receiving AUD 2.2 million from ANCP.
• CARE Australia partners with the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ). (See more about ARIJ above.)
• CARE Australia “is one member of the global CARE Confederation.”
  • CARE had been operating in the West Bank and Gaza since 1948. However on August 5, 2014, following the 2014 Gaza war, CARE WBG “temporarily suspended normal operations in Gaza, and will recommence once the security situation allows.” While CARE WBG has posted job openings on its Facebook page, it has not updated its website since August 2014, and therefore it is unclear to what extent activities have resumed.
  • CARE has provided funding to the Health Work Committees (HWC) and Abdel Shafi Community Health Association (ACHA). Both of these NGOs have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.

ActionAid Australia

• In 2025-2026, ActionAid Australia is receiving AUD 1.2 million from ANCP, of which AUD 142,189 was granted for “empowered and resilient women in H2 area of Hebron.”
• ActionAid leads tours in Bethlehem and Hebron where participants are encouraged to “come face-to-face with the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” “illegal Israeli settlements,” and the “political struggles between locals and the Israeli occupation over land, water, and the building of the Israeli separation wall.”
• Lina Abuaisha, an ActionAid Australia employee, has a picture of a Palestinian rioter hurling stones at Israeli security forces as her profile picture.

Save the Children Australia

• In 2025-2026, Save the Children Australia is receiving AUD 8.4 million from ANCP.
• On May 18, 2018, Save the Children International and the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution sponsored a workshop at the Dar al Huda kindergarten, “Training of Teachers on Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching.”
  • On May 26, 2018, the Dar al Huda kindergarten in Gaza held a graduation ceremony that included the mock killing and kidnapping of Israelis by children dressed as combatants. The simulation included sophisticated equipment such as drones, body cameras, military fatigues, body armor, and sniper camouflage. Children wore headbands representing Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and others.
  • According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Dar al Huda held similarly exploitative military-style events in in 2017 and 2016.

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)

• ACFID is the “peak body for Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) involved in international development and humanitarian action.”
• ACFID and DFAT have a “partnership agreement that recognises the ongoing, long-standing cooperation between the two organisations to promote a robust and effective Australian international development sector. The partnership supports NGO effectiveness and innovation through the application of the ACFID Code of Conduct and other learning and development initiatives. The partnership also supports policy dialogue, consultation and knowledge-sharing between DFAT and Australian NGOs in Canberra and at overseas posts.”
• According to ACFID, “Government funding supplements the core funding provided by ACFID member fees.”
• Members include Act for Peace, ActionAid Australia, CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, Islamic Relief Australia, Oxfam Australia, Save the Children Australia, Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, and World Vision Australia. 
• In 2024-2025, ACFID received AUD 2.5 million from DFAT.

Islamic Relief

• IR Australia is a “member of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW).”
• On June 19, 2014, Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon declared IRW to be illegal, based on its alleged role in funneling money to Hamas, and banned it from operating in Israel and the West Bank. (Hamas is a designated terror organization by Israel, the U.S., EU, and Canada.) According to news reports, the decision was made after “the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the coordinator for government activities in the territories, and legal authorities provided incriminating information against IRW.”
  • According to Ya’alon, IRW is “another source of funds for Hamas, and we have no intention of allowing it to operate and assist terrorist activity against Israel.”
• A January 2022 internal memo of the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security (MoINS), drafted after the UK designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, outlines a meeting held with a former employee of IRW and another NGO official.³ The focus was to clarify the extent to which the UK’s terror designation would impact NGO operations and funding. (On file with NGO Monitor.)
  • Following the meeting, according to the memo, MoINS concluded that “the aid given by UK Foreign Ministry [FCDO] to foreign associations is not conditioned and it has no way to place its conditions in effect on the [funded] associations” (emphasis added).
  • Furthermore, according to the documents, the NGO representatives reassured MoINS that, “Until now, the UK Foreign Ministry has not requested from NGOs which it funds, any information about recipients of projects, or suppliers or the local employees in foreign associations.” 
• In January 2016, the UK-based bank HSBC announced that it was ending all links to IRW, “amid concerns that cash for aid could end up with terrorist groups abroad.”
• In 2014, the United Arab Emirates included IRW and IR-UK on a list of terrorist entities.
• In 2012, UBS Bank closed Islamic Relief Worldwide’s bank account due to concerns about counter-terrorist regulations.

Australian Humanitarian Partnership

• The Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) is a 10-year (2017-2027) partnership between DFAT and Australian non-government organisations (NGOs).
• The AHP supports “partner countries, local organisations and communities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other humanitarian crises.”
• The partnership is investing AUD 100 million to six Australian NGOs: CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, Save the Children Australia, and World Vision Australia.

Indirect Funding via UN Frameworks

Funding to UNICEF

• In 2025, Australia granted USD 9.7 million to UNICEF for various projects in Gaza.
• In March 2024, UNICEF published an update regarding its cash-assistance program in Gaza, in which it claims to have supported over 540,000 Gazans since the Hamas-orchestrated October 7th massacre. UNICEF boasts that it “maintained and strengthened the partnership with the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), which helped ensure access to the social registry and resulted in targeting the most vulnerable families.” In Gaza, the MoSD is a Hamas-run entity (for more information, see NGO Monitor’s report, “Hamas Influences UK Funded Gaza Cash Programme”).

Funding to the World Food Programme

• In 2024, Australia granted USD 6.6 million to the World Food Programme for the Food Security Sector.
• According to documents published by the Food Security Sector, the Sector distributes funds and partners with NGOs, including UAWC, Ma’an Development Center, and Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC).

Funding to UNRWA

• In 2025, Australia granted AUD 6 million to UNRWA for “Providing shelter and dignity kits to conflict-affected civilians.”
• Hamas’ and other terror groups’ exploitation of UNRWA and its facilities is well documented. Additionally, there is blatant evidence of UNRWA employees’ involvement in Hamas terrorism, including direct participation in the brutal October 7 slaughter.
• In January 2024, Israel alleged that at least 12 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’ October 7th atrocities, and asserted in March 2024 that “over 450 UNRWA employees are military operatives in terror groups in Gaza.” Additionally, a January 2024 Wall Street Journal article, citing Israeli intelligence sources, reported that “23% of UNRWA’s male employees had ties to Hamas, a higher percentage than the average of 15% for adult males in Gaza, indicating a higher politicization of the agency than the population at large.” Furthermore, the PFLP and PIJ each have official unionized bodies of UNRWA employees. 
• For more information on UNRWA, read NGO Monitor’s report, “The UNRWA Constellation: Partnerships with UN Agencies and Terror-Linked NGOs.”