Gift of the Givers’ big Bibas lie exposes Hamas support

Gift of the Givers (GOTG) may be one of the largest non-governmental organisations on the African continent, but in recent months it has also become an unapologetic mouthpiece for anti-Israel terrorism.

On 25 February, before the murdered Bibas family was even buried, GOTG posted a video on its social media platforms saying that Shiri Bibas was “arrested” on 7 October 2023, and blaming Israel for the deaths of her and her children, calling it the “Israeli Nazi army”. This was after forensic evidence determined that 10-month-old Kfir; four-year-old Ariel; and 32-year-old Shiri were brutally murdered by Palestinian terrorists.

“This video is a grotesque distortion. This deliberate falsehood fuels antisemitic blood libels and exploits the family’s suffering for political gain,” says South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) spokesperson Rolene Marks. Further, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman’s rhetoric “fosters division and incites hatred in South Africa,” Marks says.

South African Jewish Board of Deputies National Chairperson Professor Karen Milner says the video is “despicable and shameful – a cynical attempt to whitewash Hamas’s brutality. It even portrays the terrorists as somehow being charitable in ‘allowing’ Shiri Bibas to take her children with her. This grotesque amplification of Hamas propaganda is a chilling reflection of Dr Sooliman’s true character.

“The video smacks of cheap propaganda and the antisemitic comments it has elicited [on social media] are telling,” Milner says. “We question why someone who represents a charitable organisation can associate himself with Hamas.”

The video shows a terrorist in a black mask speaking in Arabic, saying, “This family consists of a soldier and her children. We arrested her on 7 October. She worked as a secretary and admin in the office of the south area commander of the Gaza Brigade. She also worked out of the 8200 Unit. Upon her arrest, we allowed her to take her children out of mercy for them.”

In reality, Shiri Bibas was a playschool teacher and then worked as an accountant in the office of her kibbutz, Nir Oz. An innocent civilian, she was brutally rounded up and kidnapped by Palestinian civilians. She and her children were murdered within weeks. GOTG chose rather to believe and spread the words of a terrorist than the clear and damning facts on the ground.

GOTG said on social media that the video was a “must watch”, and that the “blood of the Bibas family is on the Israeli army’s hands, just like the genocide on Gaza is!” adding a blood emoji. It then asked for money to support its “interventions” in “Palestine”. South Africans from across the spectrum criticised the video and its bald-faced lies, expressing disgust that GOTG would post it.

“While the world recoiled in horror at Hamas’s brazen parade of murdered Israeli children, GOTG seized the moment to solicit funds, shamelessly broadcasting Hamas’s own footage to depict the abduction of a young mother and her children as an ‘act of mercy’,” says NGO Monitor Senior Researcher Shaun Sacks. “By disseminating Hamas’s vile propaganda that justifies the illegal kidnapping of Shiri Bibas and her children from their home as ‘an arrest’, trivialising the severity of taking women and children hostage, GOTG reveals itself as a public relations machine exploiting human misery.”

Sacks says it’s “alarming” that GOTG steadfastly refuses to disclose its funding sources. “[GOTG founder] Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has openly admitted to flouting funding restrictions and oversight mechanisms,” he says. “In light of its dissemination of Hamas propaganda, it’s imperative to investigate GOTG, its staff, and affiliates for potential ties to terrorism. Moreover, South African corporations partnering with GOTG must be held accountable for their association with this organisation.”

A range of voices in South Africa and abroad continue to question Sooliman’s motivations. In a BizNews article published on 10 January 2024, titled “Sooliman must come clean”, political analyst Nicholas Woode-Smith says, “Sooliman has cultivated a reputation as a humanitarian who cares for his fellow man. Unless, of course, that man is a Jew. Sooliman has participated in Jew-hating marches, sharing podiums alongside open Hamas, ISIS, and Hezbollah supporters, spouting conspiracy theories about how Zionists control the world. Rather than call for peace, Sooliman has repeatedly celebrated what he believes to be the inevitable obliteration of Israel. He has openly supported terrorist organisations.”

Due to Sooliman’s refusal to come clean about the organisation’s finances, “and rather to hide behind a vitriolic and dogmatic hatred of Israel and his connection to politicians and influential figures, we cannot be sure if GOTG is merely sympathetic to terrorism or actively funding it”, wrote Woode-Smith.

Marks says the SAZF “unequivocally condemns this latest outrage by GOTG, which cynically manipulates its image as a humanitarian NGO to spread Hamas propaganda. Its ongoing incitement, disinformation, and legitimisation of Hamas’s atrocities expose its true agenda.”

Marks notes that a growing number of South Africans recognise GOTG’s role in radicalisation and destabilisation. “We call on the government, media, and civil society to scrutinise its activities and condemn its extremist ties. The SAZF stands with the victims of Hamas terrorism, and urges all people of conscience to reject GOTG’s toxic agenda.”

David May, senior research analyst at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies in the United States, says, “It’s bizarre for a supposed human rights organisation to share this pro-Hamas propaganda. Some of this mystery can be explained by GOTG’s alleged membership in a Hamas funding network. The United States sanctioned the charity umbrella group Union of Good in 2008 for funding Hamas. The union’s website in the early 2000s listed GOTG as a South African-based member.”

He thinks the South African government’s anti-Israel hostility could also help explain why GOTG felt comfortable sharing the video. “October 7 was a ‘mask off’ moment for many, including Sooliman and GOGT,” says May. “The humanitarian organisation and its founder have been increasingly bold in their support of antisemitism and pro-Hamas propaganda. And why shouldn’t they, when their government serves as Hamas’s lawyer at the International Court of Justice and accuses Israel – the victim of genocidal acts – of being the perpetrator?”

“As it stands, Sooliman’s rhetoric and questionable connections paint a dark picture,” writes Woode-Smith. “One in which a charity organisation has been used to fund terror. And possibly, even paid for some of the bullets fired on 7 October 2023. The bullets that started this whole violent affair, in which Hamas and its allies are responsible for every death that followed.”