The report reveals an extensive European network of organizations directly or indirectly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and to terrorist entities, primarily Hamas, across the continent, including Sweden, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland.
 
The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, which released the report on Feb. 26, 2026, details what it describes as significant penetration of Muslim Brotherhood ideology into European countries, together with financial and organizational connections to terrorist groups that pose a direct threat to Jewish communities. The findings outline the scope of the Brotherhood’s activity, the degree of its influence on local organizations, and the risks these ties create. The report further states that indirect channels of communication with Hamas are being maintained and that extremist rhetoric is echoed widely across affiliated bodies.

According to the ministry’s Research Division, a sprawling network of organizations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood operates in the above-mentioned European states and beyond. The report emphasizes that many of these groups maintain direct or indirect connections to terrorist organizations, especially Hamas. It also notes that intelligence services and Western European governments broadly recognize the risks posed by the Brotherhood. European security agencies, the report shows, largely view the network as inherently anti-democratic and committed to reshaping social and political structures. Nevertheless, governments and European institutions continue official dialogue and cooperation with some of these bodies.

Among the examples cited is Interpal, a British organization designated as a terrorist entity by both the United States and the United Kingdom. The group is led by Ibrahim Hewitt, a British convert to Islam who serves as chairman of the board of trustees and is described in the report as promoting extremist interpretations of Islamic law and engaging in Holocaust denial. Alongside him is the organization’s director-general, Issam Youssef Mustafa, identified as a key conduit between Interpal and the broader global networks of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the British government and U.S. intelligence sources, Youssef served simultaneously as secretary-general of the Union for Good and Interpal. A U.S. Treasury report noted that in 2007 he sat on Hamas’s executive committee under Khaled Mashal and worked openly with Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi during the latter’s leadership of the Union for Good, strengthening the organizational link between Interpal and the Muslim Brotherhood’s European network. Interpal, which relies heavily on public fundraising, raised approximately £7.03 million in 2018, £5.54 million in 2019, and only £92,581 in 2023 following its designation as a terrorist organization.

The report also outlines the workings of the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO). A 2025 French intelligence assessment explicitly identified FEMYSO as the youth branch of the Council of European Muslims and described it as a “training structure for potential senior figures within the Muslim Brotherhood.” According to the report, FEMYSO received more than one million euros from Qatar beginning in 2016, funding that supported its Islamic centers and affiliated activities.

Another organization featured in the research report is the European Institute of Human Sciences (IESH), formerly headed by the Muslim legal scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi until his death. It is now led by Mohamed Karmous, identified in the report as a Muslim Brotherhood figure. Since 2007, IESH has reportedly received millions of dollars in donations from Qatar. Several European security and governmental agencies, quoted by the  report, have warned that the teachings and positions promoted by IESH at times conflict with democratic principles, individual rights and established social norms.

Minister Amichai Chikli, Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism: “Those who close their eyes today will pay tomorrow—with the security of their citizens and with Jewish lives. The Muslim Brotherhood is not a civil society movement; it is a conduit for extremism and terror in the heart of Europe. Behind a façade of ‘moderation’ lies a network tied to Hamas and foreign funding that destabilizes democracies from within. Europe must wake up.”

Avi Cohen-Scali, Director General of the Ministry: “The Muslim Brotherhood operates in Europe through deceptive methods that project an outward appearance of moderation and pragmatism. This front is used to advance dangerous ideological goals. Despite its external ‘moderation’, the movement consistently rejects liberal democratic principles and Western values, which conflict with its radical aspirations—including efforts to Islamize Europe.”
 
The report issued by the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism’s Research Division, highlights the following areas as the primary threat vectors facing Israel and Jewish communities across Europe:
 

• Direct security threats to Jewish communities: escalating incitement; aggressive demonstrations and incidents near mosques and university campuses; and a radicalized discourse compromising safety among Jews in public spaces.
• Sustained indirect support for terrorist organizations: including support for Hamas through networks of charities and umbrella groups such as Interpal, Al-Aqsa Foundation, and the Union of Good—even after some Western states partly sanctioned them.
• Normalization of antisemitism and religious–political incitement: amplification of extremist rhetoric through digital platforms, religious rulings, and statements from senior figures affiliated with the movement all contribute to make hostility toward Jews and Israel seem legitimate.
• Systematic delegitimization of the State of Israel: The network is active in a long list of anti-Israel trends such as influence campaigns; partnerships with pro-Palestinian groups; mobilization of public opinion; indirect fundraising for hostile actors; and political messaging undermining Israel’s right to self-determination and sovereignty.
• Covert influence on public and community institutions: Aiming to shape the narratives, identity, and political orientation among communities and younger generations infiltration into advisory bodies; religious councils; educational frameworks; and youth organizations to.
• Erosion of social cohesion and integration: promotion of a separate “Islamic citizenship” model, weakening of shared civic identity, increased communal isolation, and heightened social friction across European societies.

 
To the report: https://www.gov.il/en/pages/the-muslim-brotherhood-across-europe-2026

Link to diagram detailing the relationships: https://embed.kumu.io/a3c1883e3bbd4ff775f3959eb3da5cf1#untitled-map

The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism

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