Swedish aid amounting to 55 million kronor has gone via Sida to the Palestinian organization ICHR, which has links to the terrorist-designated Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa (M) takes full responsibility and has summoned Sida's director general to the Foreign Ministry for questioning. It is unclear how much money reached the terrorist groups.
Swedish aid funds have been disbursed through the aid agency Sida to The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) in Palestine from 2011 to 2025. The total amount is 55 million kronor. According to Aid and Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa (M), the organization has links to the terrorist-designated groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The money was reportedly used by Hamas, which controls Gaza, to train police and to organize panel discussions featuring representatives from both terrorist organizations.
The information reached the Foreign Ministry during the past week. Dousa expresses strong dissatisfaction and has summoned Sida's director general Jakob Granit to a meeting on Monday morning to get answers to several questions. These include how the funds could go to ICHR, why the information was delayed, how a new two-year support package worth millions for 2026 could be prepared, and why the organization passed the government's tightened reviews following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
After the attack, the government temporarily paused aid to Palestine, introduced new instructions to Sida to avoid extremism, and appointed new expertise to the agency's board. Despite this, support to ICHR has continued annually since 2011. Dousa emphasizes his responsibility: "I am ultimately responsible and I take full responsibility for this, and that is why we will also act. We will not allow a single Swedish tax krona to end up in the hands of terrorists or near terrorists."
Sverigedemokraterna's foreign policy spokesperson Mattias Karlsson calls the incident "completely horrific" and demands better oversight from Sida. He plans to summon Granit to the foreign affairs committee and believes the responsibility lies with the agency. Around ten other countries, including Belgium and Denmark, have also supported ICHR. Denmark is now investigating whether it violates EU sanctions. Sida has not commented as Granit is traveling, but promises responses next week.
