Photographs published by The Mail on Sunday show a spokesman for the Global Sumud Flotilla posing beside a man the newspaper identified as a Hamas official, the paper reported Sunday.
The report said Wael Nawar, listed as a member of the 13-person steering committee that organized the flotilla, was pictured at what the newspaper described as Hamas's Algerian headquarters in June standing next to Youssef Hamdan and wearing a scarf bearing the group's emblem. The Global Sumud Flotilla — described by organizers as a mission to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza — departed Spain last week.
The Mail on Sunday reported that another steering-committee member, Marouan Ben Guettaia, was a guest of the same man a few days later and posted a picture of the pair in front of a flag the paper associated with the group. A third committee member, identified as Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, was reported to have attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in February and to have praised him as an "inspiration," the newspaper said.
The Mail on Sunday said the photographs were "unearthed" by its reporters and suggested they raised questions about contacts between flotilla organizers and leaders of groups that many governments have designated as terrorist organizations. The newspaper identified Hamdan as running Hamas's North African operation.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, promoted by activists as a civilian mission to bring humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip, lists climate activist Greta Thunberg among those included on its steering committee, the paper noted. The flotilla left Spain last week with a reported cargo of food and medical equipment intended for distribution in Gaza.
The photographs appear amid heightened international scrutiny of support networks and contacts linked to armed groups operating in the Middle East and North Africa. Hamas and Hezbollah are designated as terrorist organizations by several countries and international bodies; those designations and related policies vary by jurisdiction.
The Mail on Sunday report did not include direct comment in its published story from the individuals pictured or from organizers beyond the names and affiliations listed on the flotilla's materials. Media requests and public statements related to the flotilla and its steering committee have focused on its stated humanitarian purpose and the logistics of delivering aid to Gaza.
Officials in countries involved with maritime security and counterterrorism have in recent months increased monitoring of vessels headed for the eastern Mediterranean and the wider region, citing concerns about smuggling, weapons transfers and the safety of crews. Humanitarian groups and some governments have emphasized the need for secure, coordinated aid corridors into Gaza, where medical and food supplies have been in high demand following extended hostilities.
The Mail on Sunday published the photographs as part of an investigative report on the flotilla's organizers and their contacts. The flotilla's departure from Spain and its stated intent to deliver aid have already drawn political attention and controversy in several European capitals, where officials have debated the legal and security implications of civilian-led aid missions to Gaza.
The report did not provide documentary evidence that the flotilla itself carried anything other than humanitarian supplies. It remains unclear whether the reported meetings produced material support or operational collaboration between flotilla organizers and the individuals pictured.
As the flotilla progresses, news organizations and governments are likely to follow up on the photographs and on the identities and roles of those named on the steering committee. For now, the images published by The Mail on Sunday form part of a broader public record that will inform ongoing reporting and official inquiries into the composition and connections of groups involved in maritime aid efforts to Gaza.