Washington, D.C. – November 20, 2025 –

The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation (LVS Foundation) today issued a comprehensive public warning regarding Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman and his organization, Gift of the Givers (GOTG), characterizing them as a sophisticated Hamas support network that has successfully captured South African government institutions and now orchestrates demographic transfer operations potentially constituting crimes against humanity under international law.

Dr. Fundji Benedict, Founder and CEO of the Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation, stated:

"We have conducted exhaustive research documenting that Gift of the Givers functions not as a humanitarian organization but as operational infrastructure for Hamas objectives in South Africa. Dr. Sooliman is not a humanitarian; he is a Hamas mouthpiece who has leveraged South Africa's democratic tolerance to build terrorist support networks, override governmental security functions, and now facilitate forced displacement operations that constitute crimes against humanity. The South African government must immediately recognize this threat to national security, rule of law, and the safety of South Africa's Jewish and Christian communities who face increasing existential risk from Islamist extremism this organization actively promotes."

DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF HAMAS SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

The Foundation's investigation establishes the following documented facts:

1. Historical Connections to U.S.-Designated Terrorist Financing Networks

• Dr. Sooliman founded the Al-Aqsa Foundation South Africa in 1991, which was designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury in 2003 under Executive Order 13224 as part of international Hamas funding infrastructure

• Gift of the Givers was listed as an affiliated member of the Union of Good on that organization's website in November 2002—six years before the Union of Good's 2008 U.S. Treasury designation as a Hamas financial mechanism

• The Union of Good was created by Hamas leadership specifically to funnel charitable donations to Hamas terrorist operations

• Sooliman personally funded the Al-Aqsa Foundation South Africa with "donations of several hundred thousand Rand" prior to founding GOTG

• In 2011, Sooliman received an award from Yusuf al-Qaradawi—the Muslim Brotherhood cleric who founded the Union of Good, issued fatwas legitimizing suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, and appears on Interpol's most-wanted list

2. Operational Coordination with Hamas Support Networks

• Sooliman handed leadership of the Al-Aqsa Foundation to Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels, who currently leads the Al-Quds Foundation South Africa (designated by U.S. Treasury in 2012 for Hamas support) and serves on the Union of Good board

• Multiple U.S. Treasury designations and investigative reports confirm that GOTG, Al-Quds Foundation, Al-Aqsa Foundation, and the Muslim Judicial Council form an integrated Hamas support network in South Africa

• The Foundation for Defense of Democracies identified Gabriels as "a prominent South African cleric and longtime Hamas supporter who has provided material and ideological support to the group for decades"

3. Public Statements Demonstrating Hamas Allegiance

• On October 5, 2024, Sooliman spoke at a Cape Town rally featuring banners proclaiming "We are all Hamas," stating: "They failed. Their racism, apartheid, occupation, inhumanity, evil, terrorism and genocidal conduct made manifest to the entire universe...Not a government, not an army...but an unarmed nation trapped in the largest open air prison in the world defeated you"—rhetoric identical to Hamas propaganda narratives

• Sooliman celebrated Hamas "victory" in post-ceasefire statements, characterizing Israel's military performance as a "humiliating defeat," language echoing Hamas official communications

• Professor Milton Shain, emeritus professor of historical studies at University of Cape Town, analyzed Sooliman's statements and concluded: "Dr Imtiaz Sooliman crosses the line that separates anti-Zionism from antisemitism...the tropes employed by Sooliman betray a classic anti-Jewish mindset, informed by fantasy, which is often the hallmark of antisemitism"

• Sooliman maintains comprehensive silence regarding Israeli hostages held by Hamas despite his claimed commitment to humanitarian principles, demonstrating selective application of humanitarian concern based on nationality and identity of victims

4. Systematic Financial Opacity and Lack of Accountability

• Despite claiming to distribute over R6 billion (approximately $320 million USD) across 47 countries over 32 years, GOTG maintains no publicly available audited financial statements

• Sooliman publicly stated: "I don't need any permission from anybody in the world to tell me what to do. I break the laws all the time. I follow Islamic law, and Islamic law overrides any other law"

• When specifically addressing financial operations, Sooliman stated: "I know how to move cash"—indicating deliberate cash movements designed to evade financial regulatory controls that would enable sanctions screening and terrorist financing detection

• GOTG operates cash distribution programs in Gaza with no documented controls preventing diversion to Hamas, creating acute terrorism financing concerns given Hamas's comprehensive territorial control and taxation authority in Gaza

5. Facilitation of Forced Displacement Operations Constituting Crimes Against Humanity

• Between October 2024 and November 2025, GOTG coordinated admission of 329 Palestinians from Gaza under circumstances meeting international legal definitions of forced displacement

• The November 13, 2025 flight brought 153 Palestinians who failed Border Management Authority vetting: they "could not indicate how long they intended to stay, could not provide an address of accommodation, did not carry the usual departure stamps, did not apply for asylum, and failed the immigration interview"

• Despite these documented security failures and national security red flags, GOTG successfully pressured the South African government to reverse the professional security assessment within hours, with President Ramaphosa personally authorizing entry on 90-day visa exemptions

• These operations are coordinated with Israel's "Voluntary Migration Directorate"—an Israeli government unit established specifically to facilitate Palestinian emigration from Gaza—operated by Tomer Janar Lind, a dual Israeli-Estonian national, through the organization Al-Majd Europe

• Palestinians are charged $1,500-$5,000 per person, with financial transfers circumventing institutional banking to evade sanctions screening

• International human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch characterized these operations as meeting Rome Statute definitions of crimes against humanity through forced displacement

• GOTG functions as the reception infrastructure enabling these operations to continue and expand

STATE CAPTURE AND THE NOVEMBER 13, 2025 INCIDENT: THE SMOKING GUN

The Foundation emphasizes that the November 13, 2025 incident provides definitive evidence that elements of the South African state have been captured by Hamas-aligned organizations and no longer function according to rule-of-law principles.

Dr. Fundji Benedict continued:

"When an independent border security agency—staffed by professional security experts—identifies legitimate grounds for refusing entry and detains passengers for proper vetting, that decision must be respected. Instead, an NGO director made telephone calls to ministers, and within hours, the government reversed a lawful security determination. This is not democracy. This is not rule of law. This is organizational capture by Hamas. The fact that the government simultaneously acknowledged these operations represent 'a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians' but then admitted all passengers demonstrates that elements of government are either Hamas collaborators or too captured by Hamas-aligned ideological networks to function as custodians of national security."

The immediate governmental capitulation to GOTG pressure—contradicting Border Management Authority security professionals, contradicting international law regarding forced displacement, contradicting counterterrorism financing standards—establishes that:

• Gift of the Givers maintains direct access to ministerial-level decision-makers capable of overriding security professionals

• Government officials recognize these operations are problematic but lack capacity or willingness to resist NGO pressure

• South Africa's immigration and security systems have been compromised by ideological capture by Hamas-aligned networks

• Governance failures that enabled this incident create precedent for ongoing operations at increasing scale

THREAT TO SOUTH AFRICAN JEWS AND DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITIES

The Foundation warns that the systematic injection of 329 Palestinians—and the precedent established for ongoing operations—combined with documented ISIS terrorist cells operating from South African cities and mosque-based radicalization infrastructure, creates acute security risk for South Africa's Jewish community and broader democratic society.

Dr. Fundji Benedict stated:

"We face a tripartite threat: (1) Hamas support infrastructure like GOTG that has captured government institutions; (2) ISIS cells currently operating from Durban and Cape Town that have been designated by the U.S. Treasury for terrorism financing; and (3) mosque-based radicalization networks expanding into rural areas. The Palestinian arrivals from Gaza bring political consciousness shaped by eighteen years of Hamas governance. They will become constituents of GOTG, which will leverage them for political mobilization. South Africa's Muslim population of 1.2-2.4 million already contributes 12% of GDP but holds zero cabinet seats—the lowest Muslim political representation since apartheid. The combination of political marginalization, ideological capture of government by Hamas networks, and strategic demographic importation creates conditions for rapid Islamist political ascendancy. South Africa's Jewish community faces unprecedented existential risk from an Islamist political movement actively building power through governmental capture, terrorist financing networks, and demographic engineering. This is not hypothetical concern; this is documented reality unfolding in real-time."

DEMANDS FOR GOVERNMENT ACTION

The Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation demands that the South African government immediately:

1. Suspend all Palestinian arrivals: Issue formal prohibition on further Palestinian flights pending comprehensive investigation

2. Conduct forensic vetting: Subject all 329 admitted Palestinians to enhanced security screening including biometric collection, intelligence database queries, and coordination with international partners

3. Investigate Gift of the Givers: Launch formal government investigation into GOTG's financing sources, expenditures, relationships with designated terrorist entities, and role in November 2024-2025 Palestinian arrivals

4. Audit and deregister if warranted: Commission independent forensic audit of GOTG's finances; if investigation substantiates material support for Hamas or systematic violation of South African law, deregister the organization and freeze its assets

5. Investigate DIRCO capture: Conduct parliamentary inquiry into Department of International Relations and Cooperation's relationships with GOTG and other Hamas-aligned entities; determine whether DIRCO officials acted unlawfully in overriding BMA security decisions

6. Establish border security independence: Create legal mechanisms preventing ministerial override of professional security determinations without parliamentary oversight and documented national security justification

7. Request U.S. Treasury designation: Petition the United States Department of Treasury to designate Gift of the Givers and Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman under Executive Order 13224 for support to Hamas

CALL TO INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

The Foundation calls upon democratic allies including the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and European Union members to:

1. Conduct parallel investigations into GOTG, Dr. Sooliman, and Hamas support networks in South Africa

2. Implement targeted sanctions against entities and individuals facilitating forced displacement from Gaza

3. Coordinate financial intelligence regarding Al-Majd Europe, Al-Midst operations, and Palestinian evacuation infrastructure

4. Provide technical assistance to South Africa in restructuring counterterrorism capacity to prevent organizational capture

CONCLUSION

Gift of the Givers and Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman represent not humanitarian organizations but operational components of Hamas strategic infrastructure. The evidence is comprehensive, documented, and overwhelming. The threat to South African democratic governance, rule of law, national security, and the safety of South Africa's Jewish and Christian communities is acute and imminent.

Dr. Fundji Benedict concluded:

"We call upon South African citizens, democratic institutions, and the international community to recognize the existential threat that Hamas-aligned networks pose to South Africa's future. The time for diplomatic niceties and academic analysis is past. The government must act now to restore rule of law, protect national security, and prevent the Islamist capture of South African institutions. Gift of the Givers is not a humanitarian organization. It is a Hamas mouthpiece. Dr. Sooliman is not a humanitarian; he is a terrorist supporter who has successfully captured elements of government. South Africa's safety depends on immediate, decisive action."