A former Gazan aid worker charged with funneling millions of dollars to militant group Hamas in a case disputed by human rights groups was one of nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners released Saturday.
Mohammad El-Halabi, 47, the former director of the Gaza branch of World Vision, a US-based humanitarian organization, was charged in 2016 in an Israeli district court for diverting money from humanitarian projects to Hamas’ military wing.
Following his release Saturday, El-Halabi told CNN that he had lost 40 kilograms (88 lb) of weight in detention since October 7.
“The food was not even sufficient for a small child – it was deliberately inadequate. The quality was also terrible… there was a famine inside the prison,” he told CNN, adding that dozens of prisoners fainted every day due to malnutrition.
“Thank God I got out of prison,” he said.
The Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, previously said El-Halabi used his position to divert approximately $7.2 million per year to Hamas. World Vision denied the allegations at the time and said the legal process was unfair.
“World Vision programs in Gaza have been subject to regular internal and independent audits, independent evaluations and a broad range of internal controls aimed at ensuring that assets reach their intended beneficiaries and are used in compliance with applicable laws and donor requirements,” the organization said in 2016.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.
