Gaza Documents Reveal Hamas Backed ‘Sumud’ Flotilla
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed newly uncovered documents from Gaza that provide direct evidence of Hamas’ involvement in organizing and financing the “Sumud” flotilla, a campaign presented publicly as civilian-led but in fact coordinated by Hamas and its affiliates abroad.
The papers, found in Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip and released publicly for the first time, reveal the organizational role of the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which was established in 2018 as Hamas’ overseas body. Operating under a civilian cover, the PCPA effectively functions as Hamas’ foreign representation, organizing activities against Israel that include violent demonstrations, marches, and flotilla provocations.
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One of the documents is a 2021 letter from Ismail Haniyeh, the deceased former head of Hamas’ political bureau, addressed to the chairman of the PCPA. In it, Haniyeh calls for unity and explicitly endorses the group as part of Hamas’ network. Israel formally designated the PCPA as a terrorist organization that same year, citing its role as an operational arm of Hamas.
Another document, also recovered in Gaza, lists PCPA operatives, including senior Hamas figures involved in flotilla activity. The list names Zaher Birawi, who leads the organization’s Hamas sector in the United Kingdom and has played a prominent role in flotilla campaigns to Gaza for more than 15 years. Also identified is Saif Abu Kashek, a Hamas operative based in Spain, whose role extends beyond activism.
Abu Kashek serves as chief executive of Cyber Neptune, a front company in Spain that owns dozens of vessels slated for use in the “Sumud” flotilla. According to the findings, this arrangement places flotilla ships under Hamas’s hidden ownership, despite their presentation as part of a civilian protest effort.
The revelations highlight how Hamas Abroad manages international operations while the Gaza-based leadership oversees the Strip itself. Together, the documents demonstrate not only Hamas’s political endorsement of the PCPA but also the group’s operational and financial control over flotilla campaigns. Far from being grassroots demonstrations, the “Sumud” initiative is shown to be an extension of Hamas’s long-running strategy to mobilize international pressure against Israel through coordinated, staged provocations.
