Tunisia Detains Gaza Flotilla Leaders, Including One Previously Exposed for Terror Ties
Tunisia detained Global Sumud Flotilla leaders for suspected money laundering and fraud, including one previously exposed by Jewish Onliner as having ties to multiple U.S.-designated terror groups
Several members of the Global Sumud Flotilla's (GSF) steering committee and its Tunisian organizing body were taken into custody in Tunisia on Friday, March 6, as the organization accelerates preparations for a second attempt to sail to Gaza.
Tunisian media reported that Tunisia's National Guard financial crimes unit opened a formal inquiry into suspected money laundering, fraud, and the alleged misuse of funds raised through public donations, with authorities targeting senior figures in the flotilla's steering and Tunisian organizing bodies.
Among those detained is Wael Naouar, a figure Jewish Onliner first identified in August 2025 as having met with senior officials from multiple U.S.-designated terror groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Jewish Onliner’s Investigation: The Terror Network Behind the Committee
The arrest of Naouar follows previous reporting by Jewish Onliner, ahead of the flotilla’s first departure from Barcelona, that documented his extensive associations with multiple U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.
Naouar, who also served as coordinator and spokesperson for the Sumud Convoy, participated in a media symposium in the Tunisian city of Sfax in May 2025 alongside Abed Al-Zarii, the PFLP’s Tunisia representative, who publicly endorsed the convoy on the PFLP’s behalf.
His organization, the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine, also attended a meeting in Tunisia in May 2024, where Hamas, PFLP, and Fatah leaders convened with Tunisian political figures. In a statement to Sputnik, the Russian state-funded media outlet, Naouar described Tunisian support for “Palestinian resistance,” a term widely used as a descriptor for armed terrorist factions.
Social media evidence documented by Jewish Onliner showed Naouar meeting with Hamas representatives Youssef Hamdan (Hamas envoy to Algeria) and Ahmed Abd al-Hadi (Hamas envoy to Lebanon), as well as Ihsan Attaya, a senior PIJ leader in Lebanon. His social media also showed him attending events in Beirut marking the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, where he was photographed alongside flags of Hezbollah, PFLP, and PIJ.
Five Arrested in Financial Crimes Investigation
According to multiple reports, Tunisian counter-terrorism police detained Naouar alongside Jawaher Channa, Nabil Channoufi, Sana Msahli, and Mohamed Amin Bannour, all Tunisian nationals and either members of the GSF’s international steering committee or its Tunisian organizing body.
The probe focuses on the origin and handling of donation funds collected in connection with the flotilla campaign. Investigators are examining whether those funds were managed lawfully, or whether they were subject to fraud or diverted for unauthorized purposes.
First Flotilla Ended in Israeli Interception
The GSF’s first voyage began departing from Barcelona at the end of August 2025, with more than 300 activists aboard approximately 20 vessels. Israel intercepted the flotilla in in October 2025 and detained the activists on board, including Thunberg and Ávila. Israeli officials presented documents recovered from Gaza that demonstrated direct links between the flotilla’s leadership and Hamas.
On January 21, 2026, OFAC designated the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, saying the group was a main organizer of recent flotillas and operated as a Hamas front. The same action also targeted UK-based PCPA founding member Zaher Birawi, whom Treasury identified as a senior official of the organization and a member of its General Secretariat.
Despite that outcome, the organization announced in February 2026 plans to relaunch, with the second voyage targeting a larger fleet and a broader coalition of port cities. Tunisian authorities’ current financial crimes investigation and the pattern of pre-departure disruptions now cast uncertainty over whether the second mission will proceed on schedule.
FFS, look at these pathetic dirtbags.