The German government banned the International Humanitarian Relief Organization because of its ties to Hamas.
 

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the organization was banned because it has used donations to support projects in Gaza that are related to Hamas — while presenting their activities to donors as humanitarian help.
 

He declared that organizations that directly or indirectly work against Israel's right to exist lose their right to be active in Germany.

The IHH, a Turkish charity that was one of the main planners of the Gaza flotilla, is widely considered a terrorist organization by a number of bodies - including the Israeli government, which outlawed the organization two years ago due to its ties with a number of terror organizations.

Operatives from the IHH organization carefully prepared a violent ambush on navy commandos on board the Mavi Maramara ship headed to Gaza in May.

The IHH, short for the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (Insani Yardim Vakfi), is an Islamic charity that was founded in the mid-90s to provide aid to Bosnia Muslims.
 

The IHH support Hamas and since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, the IHH has organized public conferences in Turkey to demonstrate its support for the terror group, where IHH leaders have expressed their uncompromising support for Hamas and its strategic tactics including armed warfare.
 

The organization is affiliated with Hamas fund raising charities around the world and provides large sums of money for its institutions in Gaza and the West Bank, a report drawn up by Col. (res.) Reuven Ehrlich, a former member of the Israeli Intelligence Corps who currently heads the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, said.
 

The IHH also established a branch in Gaza to promote its operations there and has conducted meetings with senior Hamas officials.
 

In November 2009 the IHH sent one of its activists, Azat Shahin, to open another branch on the West Bank. Shahin began work on establishing the new branch and even transferred tens of thousands of dollars from the IHH to Hamas affiliated organizations. He was arrested in April this year en route to Bethlehem, due to his activities, and was later deported at the request of Turkish officials.

(AP contributed to this report)