UC Berkeley Groups Raise Thousands for Gaza Man With Apparent Ties to Designated Terror Groups
UC Berkeley lecturer promotes fundraiser for Gaza resident documented at PFLP ceremonies, praising Hamas' October 7 massacre, and wielding automatic weapons—information never disclosed to donors
A fundraising campaign organized by Berkeley Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 4 Palestine (STEM 4 Palestine) and Berkeley Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP), and promoted by UC Berkeley lecturer Peyrin Kao, has raised over $66,000 to date for a Gaza resident. A Jewish Onliner investigation has revealed that the recipient appears to have ties to U.S.-designated terrorist organizations—information never disclosed to donors.
The beneficiary, Nedal Mohammed, a member of the Abu Samra clan in Deir al-Balah, has been photographed attending official ceremonies for the U.S.-designated terror group The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and wielding automatic weapons. His social media reveals praise for the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and posts mourning apparent members of designated terror organizations and militant groups.
The Campaign
STEM 4 Palestine—previously known as Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 4 Palestine (EECS 4 Palestine)—launched the fundraiser on September 26, 2025, in collaboration with FSJP. The campaign initially set a goal of $50,000, but on October 9, the organizers increased the target to $100,000. As of publication, the campaign has raised over $66,000.
The campaign states it will send funds directly to Nedal to purchase and distribute food to displaced families in Gaza. Each of the fundraising updates separately confirm the money raised is going to Nedal Mohammed.
Leading the effort is Kao, a UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science lecturer who appears in promotional videos seemingly personally vouching for Nedal. “We got in touch with someone named Nedal Mohammed,” Kao explains in footage posted to STEM 4 Palestine’s Instagram account, confirming direct communication between the Berkeley groups and the fundraiser’s beneficiary and that they reached out to the alleged terror-linked individual. Photographs from Gaza show banners bearing the names “Berkeley STEM,” “EECS,” and “FSJP” displayed alongside Nedal during distribution activities.
The campaign materials describe Nedal as operating a mutual aid project serving approximately 200 displaced families. In the fundraisers’ launch Instagram post, Berkeley EESC for Palestine called on, “Berkeley faculty, students, [and] alumni,” to donate to the alleged terror-linked campaign.
The PFLP Connection
Nedal Mohammed’s alleged ties to the PFLP are extensive and documented through his own social media posts. On July 22, 2021, Nedal posted photos of himself attending an official PFLP ceremony which he stated was, “organized by the People’s Front [PFLP]”.
Five months later, on December 12, 2021, Nedal posted photographs showing him posing next to “comrades in the front.”
Nedal’s father, Mohammed Maali Abu Samra, who is described as a “fighter” and apparent PFLP member, provides additional context. According to a profile published by the Palestine News Network, he joined the PFLP after the 1967 war and “participated in quality operations that hurt the occupier.”
Arrested in early 1970, an Israeli military court sentenced him to three life sentences plus 28 years for his crimes. He served 15 years before his release in the May 20, 1985 hostage release deal that saw three Israeli captives go free in exchange for over a thousand terrorists. Samra’s name appears on a list of released prisoners in the 1985 prisoner exchange, with the label ‘Popular Front’ next to it, suggesting his membership in the designated terror organization
After his release, Abu Samra became a founding member and coordinator of the National and Islamic Forces Committee in Deir al-Balah—a coalition of Palestinian factions including Fatah, Hamas, PFLP, and other militant groups. He later served as coordinator for the entire central governorate. Nedal has also been photographed with members of the National and Islamic Forces Committee.
October 7 and Hamas Connections
As the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians unfolded in real-time, Nedal posted messages that appeared to be in support of the terror attacks. The English translation of his October 7 post says— “Oh God [Allah], guide the aim of our heroic fighters [Mujahadeen] and protect them with Your watchful eye that never sleeps,” —referring to the Hamas terrorists who killed over 1,200 Israelis.
On August 28, 2024, Nedal posted a tribute poster honoring a “friend and brother.” The graphic includes imagery of what appears to be an armed fighter, suggesting the individual’s involvement in militant activities
A video posted on social media on May 21, 2025, shows Nedal with a group of armed men marching through the streets of Gaza carrying and shooting what appears to be an automatic weapon.
The Clan Context
Nedal is a member of the Abu Samra clan, one of Gaza’s powerful family networks that command loyalty from hundreds or thousands of relatives. According to Times of Israel reporting, some of these clans are “believed to be well-armed” and have “a long history of clashing over rival interests, as well as with Hamas.”
In April 2025, Abu Samra clan members publicly executed an alleged Hamas operative in Deir al-Balah after he allegedly killed a clan relative—an incident that highlighted both the clan’s capacity for violence and growing tensions between Gazan families and Hamas.
The Professor’s Role
UC Berkeley Professor, Peyrin Kao’s, involvement in the fundraiser comes less than two years after UC Berkeley reprimanded him for using his classroom position to advocate for Palestine. In November 2023, after dismissing his CS 61B class early, Kao spent approximately 20 minutes speaking about the Israel-Hamas war to demonstrate support for Palestinians.
EECS Department Chair Claire Tomlin sent students an email stating the classroom “is not an appropriate place for this,” and personally warned Kao in writing that violating university policies “could result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”
Despite this explicit warning, Kao seemingly organized and promoted the Nedal Mohammed fundraiser, which launched on September 26, 2025—while Kao was conducting a widely publicized 38-day hunger strike that ended October 3rd.
As a year-to-year contract lecturer without tenure, Kao is subject to UC Berkeley’s APM 025 policy requiring faculty to report outside professional activities and obtain prior approval for certain external roles. The Faculty Code of Conduct (APM 015) specifically bars “unauthorized use of University resources or facilities on a significant scale for personal, commercial, political, or religious purposes.”
Executive Vice Chancellor Benjamin Hermalin issued guidance in October 2023 warning faculty that university policy “does impose limits on using the classroom or one’s course for purposes of political advocacy.”
Potential Policy Violations and University Name Misuse
UC Berkeley policy also prohibits unauthorized use of Berkeley’s name and resources for political and social movement purposes. The policy states that campus organizations may not “use the University’s or Campus’ name, or their affiliation with the University, in any manner which suggests, implies, or indicates University endorsement.” Violations constitute a misdemeanor under state law.
This fundraiser, however, uses the university’s name and calls on faculty, students, and alumni to join— raising concerns of how and why Nidal’s alleged terror ties were not vetted or disclosed.
Jewish Onliner contacted UC Berkeley for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.