The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Al-Khair Foundation and restricted certain financial transactions while it examines allegations that the charity and its partners had connections to Hamas. The regulator has already imposed a legal order limiting some transactions without its prior consent.
The charity recorded income of over £74 million in the financial year ending 31 July 2025, and the inquiry will examine whether trustees have complied with their legal duties in the administration, governance and management of the charity. The Commission said it will consider all relevant information as part of the investigation.
Hasna and the Gaza link
The inquiry will also verify Mohammad Yousef Hasna's connection to the charity. He is an individual employed by an organisation that Al-Khair Foundation works with to deliver aid in Gaza, and he has been arrested in the UK and charged by US authorities for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas.
Last month, the Commission received a complaint alleging that the charity and its partners had connections to Hamas and that the charity had funded Hamas. It immediately started examining the concerns and gathered more information before escalating the case to a statutory inquiry.
Commission powers and limits
Al-Khair Foundation was set up to advance religion, promote education, support social welfare, build religious harmony and offer relief to victims of disasters, and it operates in the UK and internationally. The legal order now in place means certain financial transactions need the Commission's prior consent before they can proceed.
The Charity Commission says it cannot investigate criminal matters. If evidence of criminal activity is found, it will be referred to the police, and the Commission's policy is to publish a report after it has concluded an inquiry.
That leaves the regulator focused on governance, trustee conduct and transaction controls while the criminal allegations run on a separate track. For Al-Khair Foundation, the immediate issue is not the final outcome of the complaint but the restrictions already attached to how it can move money during the inquiry.
