Meet London-based ‘Hamas operative’ behind Greta Thunberg’s ‘Freedom Flotilla’ stunt that was foiled by Israel
A MAN accused in parliament of being a Hamas operative based in London was one of the organisers of Greta Thunberg’s “Freedom Flotilla”, it has emerged.
Zaher Birawi, who has been photographed with slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was present at the launch of the British-flagged yacht Madleen.
As a Palestinian-British journalist, Mr Birawi is chair of the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza.
He also runs a UK-registered charity called Education Aid for Palestinians, which has raised more than £3 million since 2017.
Just a week ago, Mr Birawi was present at the launch of Madleen and live-streamed the event from a dock in Sicily.
He called himself the “founding member” of the Freedom Flotilla International Coalition – which arranged Madleen’s voyage to Gaza.
The “selfie yacht” has now been seized by Israel, and all the people onboard have been detained.
Labour MP Christian Wakeford named Mr Birawi in the Commons using special parliamentary protections that protect him from being sued.
Mr Birawi said Mr Wakeford’s claim was “baseless” and that he was looking at “all available legal recourse” in response to the MP’s comments.
According to Israel’s strategic affairs ministry, Mr Birawi moved to the UK in the 1990s, has “close ties to Hamas” and worked for several pro-Palestinian NGOs – including one tied to Hamas.
In 2023, The Sun on Sunday revealed Mr Birawi lived in a £500,000 semi-detached house in leafy north London.
MP for Bury South Mr Wakeford raised concerns over a “serious national security risk” from “Hamas operatives”.
He told the Commons: “[Mr Birawi] was designated by Israel in 2013 as a senior Hamas operative in Europe.
“He is listed as a trustee of a UK-registered charity Education Aid for Palestinians, and a publicly available video shows him hosting a 2019 event in London titled ‘Understanding Hamas’.
“Two weeks ago, Hamas launched the deadly terrorist attack the world has seen since 9/11.
“This House rightly voted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety in November 2021. It is therefore a serious national security risk for Hamas operatives to be living here in London.”
There is no suggestion that Mr Birawi was involved in the deadly October 7 terror attacks.
He said: “I have been made aware of the fact that the Member of Parliament for Bury South, Christian Wakefield, made a reference to my name in the proceedings of the House of Commons on October 26.
“Regrettably, this mention appears to have been motivated by an intent to besmirch my character and, potentially, to rationalise any harm that may befall me or my family.
“In a time when we should all exercise vigilance and contemplate the potential consequences of our words, particularly their capacity to incite violence and animosity, Mr Wakefield chose a contrary course of action.
“I wish to reaffirm that what the respected MP said about the accusation is baseless and that it is part of the distortion attempts undertaken by the occupying state to prevent activists supporting Palestinian rights from carrying out their duties in supporting the Palestinian human rights.”
Hamas has been proscribed as a terror group in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 2021.
Swedish eco warrior Greta, ten other activists and a journalist were on the Madleen when it left the Italian isle of Sicily last week.
Israel accused the Freedom Flotilla Coalition of supporting Hamas terrorists.
The “selfie yacht” operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition was said to be “safely making its way to the shores of Israel”, Israel’s Foreign Minsitry said.
All passengers were safe and unharmed and activists handed out sandwiches and water before the vessel docked at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod.
The boat was carrying a “tiny amount of aid” on board – which will be sent to Gaza.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that he has instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to screen footage of the 7 October attacks as soon as they arrive.
Greta Thunberg – Swedish climate activist
Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian MEP
Yasemin Acar – German activist
Thiago Avila – Brazilian activist
Omar Faiad – French journalist
Pascal Maurieras – French activist
Yanis Mhamdi – French reporter
Suayb Ordu – Turkish activist
Sergio Toribio – Spanish activist
Marco van Rennes – Dutch activist
Reva Viard – French activist
Liam Cunningham – Irish Game of Thrones actor
Baptiste Andre – French Physician
The disturbing footage – titled “Bearing Witness” – shows innocent people being massacred and mutilated.
And all the footage was taken from the Hamas terrorists’ bodycams as they filmed their massacre.
Hamas branded the interception of the yacht as a “crime of piracy”.
The group said in a statement that activists were on a “humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip and exposing the crime of mass starvation.”
It added that Israel’s action was “organised state terrorism, a clear violation of international law, and an attack on civilian volunteers motivated by humanitarian motives.”