Knesset Education Committee Chairman MK Tzvi Succot toured the Nur Al-Huda school in Shuafat on Thursday morning, where he confronted the school’s director, Hamza Qaisi, over allegations of ties to organizations linked to Hamas.
During the visit, Succot questioned Qaisi regarding his alleged connections to the Zakat Al-Quds Association, which has been recognized by Israeli courts as an organization affiliated with Hamas and is currently undergoing dissolution proceedings.
Qaisi did not respond to the questions raised by Succot or to documentation presented during the confrontation, which allegedly showed him raising funds for a Hamas-linked organization. At one point, the principal returned to the school building and closed the door behind him.
"As long as you are affiliated with the Hamas terrorist organization and other terrorist organizations, we will close your school," Succot told Qaisi. "If you bring money from Hamas to a school in Jerusalem, you will not receive a single shekel from the state."
The visit followed a report by Jewish Voice, which presented documents and data allegedly showing that the school is connected to the “Amsach D’maat Alithim" association, which is operated by figures linked to the Zakat Al-Quds Association.
According to the report, the Zakat Al-Quds Association was identified by Israeli courts as being affiliated with Hamas and is in the process of being liquidated.
The findings also claimed that Qaisi holds positions in associations connected to these groups and appeared in publications thanking organizations designated in Israel as prohibited entities due to Hamas ties for financial support provided to the school’s activities.
At the conclusion of the tour, Succot said he would contact officials in the Education and Defense Ministries, calling on them to examine the institution’s connections and ensure that state funds are not provided to organizations linked to supporters of terrorism.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, MK Sharren Haskel said: "Hamza Qaisi is a director of a Hamas charity and brought millions of shekels to his school from Hamas charities. Schools in the State of Israel that receive money from the state cannot be connected to Hamas. This must stop. This man cannot run a school in the State of Israel and lie to the Education Committee."