A Palestinian man holds a Hamas flag as he inspects a site, which according to the Gaza police, was hit by an Israeli air strike, in Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip March 16, 2017. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

JERUSALEM, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday accused a Palestinian worker of a Turkish aid organization in Gaza of funneling humanitarian funds to the Hamas, a militant group that controls the Palestinian enclave.

The Shin Bet security service said in a statement that they arrested Muhammad Murtaja, manager of the Gaza branch of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) organization, a government-run humanitarian aid program.

The Shin Bet said that Murtaja, 40, a resident of Gaza, is suspected of working for the military wing of Hamas.

During an investigation, the Shin Bet "ascertained that Murtaja was recruited by Hamas at the end of 2008," the statement read.

"Beginning in 2009, Murtaja was active in the military wing. His activity included military training, manufacturing weapons and explosive devices and digging terror tunnels. Murtaja even stored weapons, such as hand grenades and guns, in his home," according to the Shin Bet.

TIKA works on behalf of the Turkish government to advance humanitarian projects in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Shin Bet claims that Murtaja "deceived" TIKA by misusing the organization's funds, which were intended for humanitarian projects in Gaza, by diverting them to Hamas' military wing.

"This fraud was carried out in collusion with the senior ranks of Hamas in Gaza," the Shin Bet said.

Israel has been charging that Hamas operatives have "infiltrated" international aid organizations in the Gaza Strip to funnel money to the Islamist group.