UK taxpayers funded PTSD therapy for ‘Israeli’ soldiers who fought in Gaza, investigation finds

British taxpayers funded “therapeutic healing” and PTSD treatment for ‘Israeli’ soldiers who fought in Gaza through a Gift Aid scheme, a Declassified UK investigation has found.

An ‘Israeli’ veterans group linked to the ‘Israeli’ military’s elite Yahalom unit, which specialises in tunnel warfare and the destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, received the money via a UK charity.

The British government added a 25% Gift Aid top-up to the donations.

Emails obtained by the outlet show the Yahalom Foundation directing British supporters to channel funds through its “registered partner platform in the UK.”

One message stated: “Processing your donation through them ensures you receive full tax recognition and enabled Gift Aid, maximising the impact of your contribution… 100% of your gift is routed directly to Yahalom to support our core mission.”

The foundation’s fundraising list included a £5,000 “therapeutic healing journey” for soldiers returning from Gaza and “individual psychological treatments,” as well as a £100,000 memorial hall for killed ‘Israeli’ soldiers.

Older records also showed British donations sought for specialised equipment for serving ‘Israeli’ troops.

UK Toremet, the British charity involved, confirmed it had granted money to the Yahalom Foundation specifically “for the provision of PTSD treatment to the association’s beneficiaries.”

It said monitoring had confirmed the funds were used only for that restricted purpose and argued that “the provision of mental-health treatment to an individual is welfare and medical relief, charitable under English law.”

The charity denied being Yahalom’s “partner platform,” saying the description was inaccurate and that it would raise the wording with the foundation.

It added that donors may recommend causes, but trustees alone assess whether any grant complies with English charity and tax law.

The arrangement sits uneasily with Charity Commission guidance that “it is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military.”

Yahalom is the ‘Israeli’ military’s elite engineering unit trained in explosives and “destroying terror tunnels.”

A military spokesperson has said the unit “is deployed everywhere in the Gaza Strip,” and one of its soldiers has spoken publicly about blowing up buildings and operating in Palestinian hospitals.

The foundation supports both current and former members of the unit, describing itself as an “anchor” for Yahalom’s “family of warriors.”

The findings come amid wider scrutiny of UK Toremet.

The charity was founded by a Briton who emigrated to ‘Israel’, stood as a candidate for a party that was described as far-right, and acted as a spokesman for an illegal West Bank settlement.

It has faced previous regulatory attention, including three Charity Commission compliance cases since 2016 related to its work in Palestine, and has been linked in reporting to funding flowing toward settler organisations.

Labour MP Melanie Ward has previously highlighted that UK Toremet was among groups that channelled millions to illegal settlements, noting that Gift Aid could have added millions more from the public purse.

Gearóid Ó Cuinn, director of the Global Legal Action Network, said the latest case appeared to be “another instance of the UK failing to abide by clear obligations under international law to stamp out financial links to international abuses… there is serious concern that public gift aid funds could be used to support Israeli soldiers who have been committing genocide in Gaza and war crimes in the West Bank.”