Israeli court postpones trial of Turkish charity worker

BEERSHEBA, Israel (AA) - An Israeli court has postponed the trial of a Turkish-employed charity worker until early June.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) representative in the Gaza Strip, Mohamed Murtaja, has been in custody since Feb. 12.

Monday’s hearing took place in Israel's Beersheba city; Murtaja himself was present in court and will remain in detention until trial.

In a statement to Anadolu Agency, Lea Tsemel, one of Murtaja's lawyers, said the court did not share some of the indictment about the detained man with his defense team on grounds of "secrecy".

Tsemel said as Murtaja's team demanded the whole indictment from the prosecutor to prepare his defense, his trial was postponed to June 6.

Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, has described Murtaja's aid activities in Gaza, which is in need of urgent help, as "terrorism support".

According to a written statement from Shin Bet, Murtaja is accused of distributing humanitarian aid to "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades members and their families for military purposes".

Murtaja, who is married with four children, has been working for TIKA in Gaza since 2012.

-Pressure on aid agencies

Aid workers in Gaza have faced Israeli pressure, often being accused of aiding Hamas.

Gaza has been under a blockade since 2006.

Wahid Burash, a UN-employed Palestinian, was previously sentenced to seven months by an Israeli court on charges of helping Hamas.

B'Tselem, an Israeli-based human rights organization that records military violations in the occupied West Bank, faced a police complaint of treason in October 2016.

Israeli lawmakers last week also banned activists who calling for a boycott of Israel from entering the country.