Human Appeal Australia (HAA)

Human Appeal Australia’s former parent group, Human Appeal International (now called Human Appeal), has been accused of supporting, employing, and funding alleged Hamas operatives and Hamas activities in the Middle East. ²

Background

Human Appeal Australia was a chapter of the broader Human Appeal International (now called Human Appeal) network, a United Kingdom-based organization that raises funds for various Muslim causes, including support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. According to a 2025 Focus on Western Islamism (FWI) report, HAA split off from the broader Human Appeal International network following allegations that the Human Appeal International parent group had connections to Hamas terrorists. The FWI report claims that Human Appeal Australia, formerly Human Appeal International – Australia, shared the same logo, name, and web link as the broader Human Appeal International group. ²

Activities

Human Appeal Australia (HAA) maintains several relief projects across 39 countries, including efforts to provide food, water, healthcare, education, and other humanitarian initiatives to populations in crisis. ¹ For example, in 2017, HAA sent a group of relief workers to Mogadishu, Somalia to provide food, medicine, and water. ³

HAA hosts fundraising events to support Palestinians in Gaza. A February 2025 Green Left article reported on one such HAA fundraising event, entitled “We Will Rebuild It – Perth unites for Gaza.” ⁴ HAA also has a large social media presence, as its Facebook page maintains over 500,000 followers. The group regularly posts updates on its efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza. ⁵

Human Appeal Network Controversies

According to a 2025 Focus on Western Islamism (FWI) report, Human Appeal Australia (formerly known as Human Appeal International – Australia), was a chapter of the larger United Kingdom-based Human Appeal organization (formerly known as Human Appeal International) until Human Appeal International was accused of supporting Hamas and its terrorist activities in the Middle East. The FWI report claims that Human Appeal Australia formerly shared the same logo, name, and weblink as its then-parent group, Human Appeal International. ²

In 2014, Human Appeal International had several apparent affiliates, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Reports later surfaced that it had employed Hamas terrorists, including Moin Shubib, an alleged Hamas operative. ^{2  6}

Human Appeal International also has a history of partnering with the Kuwait-based International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO), a terror-aligned charity that previously publicly partnered with former Hamas terror leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. Human Appeal International allegedly has a history of providing funding and support to other allegedly terror-aligned groups, including the Union of Good, the Islamic Zakat Society (IZS), the Al-Zakat Committee of Jerusalem, and the Bayader Association for Environment and Development. ²

Leadership

According to the group’s 2024 financial report, Bashar Al-Jamal is the director of Human Appeal Australia. ⁷ He previously worked as a regional director for Human Appeal International before joining Human Appeal Australia. Following accusations in 2003 that Human Appeal International supported Hamas terrorism, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation characterized Al-Jamal as saying that criticism of Human Appeal International by a Palestinian Authority diplomat sought to “discredit the organisation among Australian Muslim leaders.” ⁸

Finances

In 2024, Human Appeal Australia reported Australian Dollar (AUD) 40,424,740 ($28,795,149 USD) in total income and AUD 34,223,534 ($24,377,937 USD) in expenses. ⁷