A man accused of being a “Hamas operative” works on an Arabic-language news channel in London and leads one of the organisations behind major pro-Palestine demonstrations across the capital.
Zaher Birawi chairs the Palestine Forum in Britain, which forms part of a six-group coalition responsible for coordinating the extensive protests.
In October 2023, Labour MP Christian Wakeford invoked parliamentary privilege to identify Mr Birawi among four individuals he described as “senior Hamas operatives” operating within the UK.
“This house rightly voted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety in November 2021,” Mr Wakeford stated.
“It is therefore a serious national security risk for Hamas operatives to be living here in London,” he warned.
Mr Birawi, who originates from the West Bank, has previously dismissed the Bury South MP’s allegations as unfounded.
Israel has also described the 64-year-old as a “high-ranking, well-known Hamas operative”.
The Palestine Coalition, which includes the Palestine Forum in Britain alongside five other organisations, has staged a minimum of 20 rallies in central London throughout 2025.
A man accused of being a ‘Hamas operative’ is working as a TV presenter in London and leads a group behind pro-Palestine protests
|
GETTY
As well as leading the protest group, Mr Birawi currently works as a presenter for an Arabic-language television station in London.
In 2012, he was photographed in Gaza with Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas leader who was killed in Tehran last year.
During the same period, Mr Birawi shared an image commemorating Hamas’s 25th anniversary that featured a Qassam rocket, the type frequently launched from Gaza towards Israel.
Mr Birawi has publicly opposed Britain’s decision to proscribe Hamas, arguing it would exclude an “essential section of the Palestinian community from the peace process.”
Zaher Birawi chairs the Palestine Forum in Britain, which forms part of a six-group coalition of demonstrators
|
X: ZAHER BIRAWI
At last month’s Palestine Festival in London, he declared that “the essence of the battle is not decided in the corridors of biased politics, but rather it lies in the resilience of men and women who refuse to be broken.”
“The people realised that rights are seized, not begged for, and the homeland will not be retrieved by waiting,” he added, per The Times.
Ziad El Aloul, another individual Wakeford identified in parliament as a Hamas operative, also maintains ties to the Palestine Forum in Britain.
The Palestinian Return Centre described him as PFB chairman approximately a decade ago, and Companies House records from 2015 list him as the organisation’s sole director.
Mr El Aloul has been photographed leading marches through London alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
On October 7, he shared Hamas-produced footage celebrating the attack “by land, air and sea,” along with civilian recordings of armed militants driving through Israeli communities.
The group’s current vice-chairman, Adnan Hmidan, reportedly described the October 7 attacks as a “normal situation”.
He is also said to have posted an image of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin with the caption “I love this man.”