Harvard Advisor Resigns Amid Accusations of Aiding Hamas Operations in Gaza

[Social Media]

 

Harvard Advisor Resigns Amid Accusations of Aiding Hamas Operations in Gaza

 

Billionaire Palestinian-American businessman Bashar Masri has stepped down from his position on the Dean’s Council at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government following a lawsuit that accuses him of providing material support to Hamas through development projects in Gaza. The Kennedy School confirmed the resignation, stating, “Mr. Masri has resigned from the Dean’s Council. The lawsuit raises serious allegations that should be vetted and addressed through the legal process.”

 

 

The resignation comes just days after a civil suit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by nearly 200 relatives of victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The suit alleges that Masri aided the terror group by facilitating the construction of underground tunnels and rocket launch sites on properties he helped develop in Gaza. According to the plaintiffs, these properties included a Gaza-based industrial park near the Israeli border and luxury hotels used by Hamas operatives.

 

 

Masri, a well-known figure in Palestinian development, is best recognized for spearheading the creation of Rawabi, a modern city in the West Bank. His work has earned praise from international organizations and governments, including the U.S., European Union, United Nations, and World Bank. Through his holding company, Massar International, and his chairmanship of the Palestine Development and Investment Company (PADICO), Masri directed multiple construction projects across the Palestinian territories.

 

 

The civil complaint asserts that “Defendants provided services that legitimized Hamas and gave its operations under and within Defendants’ properties greater protection from Israeli and U.S. action.” It further states, “All of this assistance was beneficial to Hamas in sustaining its iron-fisted rule in Gaza and in committing acts of international terrorism.” The legal team includes prominent attorneys such as Lee Wolosky, who served under four U.S. presidents, and Gary Osen, known for representing Holocaust victims’ families.

 

In response, Masri’s office strongly denied the accusations, calling the lawsuit “baseless.” The statement added, “Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy. Bashar Masri has been involved in development and humanitarian work for the past decades.”

 

The lawsuit claims that Masri knowingly violated the Anti-Terrorism Act by assisting Hamas in the lead-up to the October 7 massacre, which killed 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, and led to 254 hostages being taken into Gaza. Among the plaintiffs are relatives of victims such as Itay Chen and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, as well as high-profile figures including Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and philanthropist Eyal Waldman, whose daughter was murdered at the Nova music festival.

 

Photos submitted in the complaint show Masri signing a 2022 joint venture agreement for the Gaza Industrial Estate (GIE) with senior Hamas officials, including Abdel Fattah Zrai and University of Gaza professor Dr. Muhamad Ziyara, both linked to Hamas tunnel construction. The GIE project, which manufactures goods ranging from pharmaceuticals to Coca-Cola products, reportedly received substantial funding from the World Bank, USAID, and other international bodies.

 

The lawsuit describes how the GIE and nearby hotels like the Blue Beach Resort and Al Mashtal Hotel—now the Ayan Hotel—were used to conceal tunnel shafts and serve as operational bases for Hamas, with anti-tank weaponry even placed in water towers. It also states that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by the IDF in 2024, frequently used these hotels as a command center for launching attacks against Israel.

 

Masri had previously acknowledged his role in planning the First Intifada but has since cultivated an image as a proponent of peace and development. In a 2019 interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” he said, “If we can build a city — a futuristic city, a secular city, a democratic city — then we can build a state.” Despite this image, the lawsuit claims that beneath the surface, Masri’s projects became deeply entangled with Hamas infrastructure.

 

 

Based on a report by NYP  2025-04-12