Israel’s Beersheba Central court sentenced a Palestinian worker of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to nine years in prison on Sunday.
Mohamed Murtaja 39 was TIKA representative in the blockaded Gaza Strip. He was arrested in Feb. 12 2017 at the Erez checkpoint between Gaza and Israel while traveling to Turkey to receive professional training from his employers.
He was convicted over six different charges like being member of Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades the armed wing of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and siphoning financial resources to Hamas.
Married with four children Murtaja has worked for TIKA in Gaza since 2012.
Khaled Zabarka Murtaja’s lawyer told Anadolu Agency that the prison sentence is a “political” decision and Israel targets humanitarian aid institutions in Gaza Strip.
“Israel is very openly targeting Turkey’s activities in Gaza and Palestine and giving a message to Turkey over Murtaja” Zabarka said.
