Exclusive | Activist who sent Ilhan Omar’s daughter and Hasan Piker on Cuba aid convoy has ties to Hamas and Iran

Nypost · 🇨🇳 public China · May 19, 2026 · 992 words · By Isabel Vincent

National Security and Terrorism Legal compliance Political Hypocrisy

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What to know about National Security and Terrorism

Activist who sent Ilhan Omar’s daughter and Hasan Piker on Cuba aid convoy has ties to Hamas and Iran See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 20

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Activist who sent Ilhan Omar’s daughter and Hasan Piker on Cuba aid convoy has ties to Hamas and Iran See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleA millionaire anti-war activist who organized the high-profile “humanitarian aid” convoy to Cuba in March has ties to Hamas and the Iranian regime.

Common ground

The aid flotilla to Cuba attracted much attention as it included Ilhan Omar’s daughter Isra Hirsi and leftist streamer Hasan Piker — who both sung the praises of the ailing Communist ‘paradise’ after their trip.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Smears: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this National Security and Terrorism story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The aid flotilla to Cuba attracted much attention as it included Ilhan Omar’s daughter Isra Hirsi and leftist streamer Hasan Piker?
How does this story connect National Security and Terrorism with Legal compliance over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/world-news/activist-who-sent-ilhan-omars-daughter-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 95% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Smears 75% confidence

Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.

Why it matters: Recognizing smears helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Guilt by Association 85% confidence

Discrediting an idea by linking it to a disliked group or person.

Why it matters: Recognizing guilt by association helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 20 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 10

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

report Misleading 1

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Claim 1: “The aid flotilla to Cuba attracted much attention as it included Ilhan Omar’s daughter Isra Hirsi and leftist streamer Hasan Piker”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm the participation of both Isra Hirsi and Hasan Piker in the 'Nuestra América' convoy to Cuba.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Nuestra América Convoy was an international humanitarian movement proposed as a maritime convoy plan to deliver aid to Cuba in response to a severe humanitarian and economic crisis during early 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuestra_América_Convoy

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Hasan Piker, a Celebrity Left-Wing Streamer, Defends Cuba Aid Mission. He helped bring attention to a group delivering humanitarian aid to Cuba, which was criticized for staying in an upscale hotel as…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/world/americas/hasan-pike…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday described herself as “incredibly proud” that her daughter, Isra Hirsi, participated in the “Nuestra America” convoy, an international gathering of leftist personalities tha…
https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2026/03/24/ilhan-oma…

schedule

Claim 2: “Benjamin’s Arc of Justice Foundation was previously known as the Benjamin Fund until 2018.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 3: “Benjamin was a co-founder of CodePink, the group started by China-based software entrepreneur and activist Neville Singham’s wife Jodie Evans, and she is still listed as treasurer.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding the co-founding of CodePink by Jodie Evans or Medea Benjamin's role as treasurer.

schedule

Claim 4: “In 2019, Benjamin also attended a conference in Iran designated by the US Treasury as a platform for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to “recruit and collect intelligence””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 5: “Barry was spokesman for Code Pink for over a decade, according to public records.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding Tighe Barry serving as a spokesperson for CodePink for over a decade.

info

Claim 6: “It was organized by Medea Benjamin, president of the Arc of Justice Foundation, a charity with $51 million at its disposal.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Medea Benjamin's involvement in the Cuba convoy, there is no evidence in the provided results regarding the 'Arc of Justice Foundation' or the specific amount of $51 million.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country in the Caribbean. It comprises the eponymous main island as well as 4,195 islands, islets, and cays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Medea Benjamin echoed Ávila’s comments. “I think it’s a drop in the bucket, in terms of what the needs are, but I think it’s also important for the Cuban people to see that the people in the United St…
https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/humanitarian-aid-convoy-heads…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Medea doesn’t have to win the argument in public — she just has to make the footage impossible to scrub from memory. Watch enough of her encounters and you’ll see the pattern: she’ll ask about dead ch…
https://www.closertotheedge.net/p/medea-benjamin

schedule

Claim 7: “Five years later, Benjamin led and organized a 28-person CodePink delegation to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, meeting with then Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Benjamin and her friend and fellow activist Tighe Barry, 69, also met Hamas leaders, including foreign affairs minister Ahmed Yusef, who in 2009 handed them a letter to deliver to President Obama”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Medea Benjamin and Tighe Barry's interaction with Hamas to deliver a letter to President Obama.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, who carried the letter out from Gaza, said that the letter represented a significant development and an effort by Hamas to present a new face to the Western world.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2009/06/04/hamas-delivers…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — As President Obama gets set to leave office, take a look back at one of his most memorable moments when he didn't hold back in his final speech at the White ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxFkEj7KPC0

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — medea homeland security Medea Benjamin, left sans vagina costume, leads group meeting Homeland Security Sec. Jeh Johnson, photo by Code Pink. It’s an Obama world.Along with Benjamin and McCracken, rep…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/03/homeland-security-c…

schedule

Claim 9: “It is run in conjunction with Benjamin’s New York City-based daughter, Maya Mandela Danaher, who is listed as the charity’s treasurer”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 10: “Benjamin, 73, made at least seven trips to Gaza between 2009 and 2012 where he met with Hamas officials, including the group’s then-leader Ismail Haniyeh”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided confirms Medea Benjamin carried a letter from Hamas, but the specific detail of 'seven trips between 2009 and 2012' and meetings with Ismail Haniyeh is not explicitly corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided text, though the general activity is mentioned in one source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Hamas has maintained control over Gaza, often clashing with the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah. Efforts at reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah have seen limited success. Hamas continued to face…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

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web search NEUTRAL — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (left) and his replacement Yahya Sinwar (right) were killed within months of each other. Since Sinwar's death, Hamas has been led by a five-man council. At its head is beli…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyv7w3gdy2o

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web search NEUTRAL — Gaza medics said Israel killed at least seven Palestinians, including a child, in air strikes on Friday that Israel said targeted Hamas’ armed wing chief, though neither Israel nor the militants said …
https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2026/05/15/isra…

schedule

Claim 11: “CodePink and Arc of Justice have organized multi-year Cuba aid convoys through the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP), which is run by Fernando Gonzalez Llort”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 12: “Hamas were designated a terror group by the US in 1997.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The Council on Foreign Relations and other sources explicitly state that the United States designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The designation of terrorist organizations is also guided by the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. New Zealand also abides by several United Nations resolutions dealing with counter-terrorism including …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_designated_terrorist_g…

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web search NEUTRAL — In 1997, the United States designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organization. The movement went on to spearhead violent resistance during the second intifada, in the early 2000s, though PIJ and Fatah’…
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/what-hamas

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web search NEUTRAL — The victims included citizens from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Nepal, and several other countries, reflecting the global impact of the attack.The U.S. des…
https://www.ajc.org/news/how-many-americans-have-been-killed…

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Claim 13: “A millionaire anti-war activist who organized the high-profile “humanitarian aid” convoy to Cuba in March has ties to Hamas and the Iranian regime.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the existence of the 'Nuestra América Convoy' to Cuba in March 2026. Evidence for the organizer's ties to Hamas is supported by reports of Medea Benjamin (the organizer) delivering letters for Hamas and meeting their leaders.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba is a coordinated global mobilisation delivering humanitarian aid by air, land and sea, converging in Havana’s Malecón on 21 March 2026.
https://diem25.org/global-convoy-to-cuba-to-converge-in-hava…

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web search NEUTRAL — An international convoy with humanitarian aid is scheduled to arrive in Havana on March 21, amid one of the most severe crises Cuba has faced in decades.
https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-02-20-u1-e129488-s270…

schedule

Claim 14: “Fernando Gonzalez Llort... was convicted of spying and collecting information on Cuban exile groups in US federal court in 2001. He served nearly 14 years in US prison”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), lists Cuba as “a foreign country of concern,” and requires registration before doing business with the island”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 16: “The charity has moved from California to Washington DC, then New York and is now run out of a modest bungalow in North Miami, owned by Barry.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 17: “The Cuba convoy with Hirsi, 23, and Piker was called the “Nuestra America Convoy” bringing in 20 tons of humanitarian in March.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “In 2014, she attended a conference in Tehran, where she presented a strategy on Gaza to enforce Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) on Israel”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

report

Claim 19: “Yusef... was a senior advisor to then-Gaza Prime Minister who was later assassinated in Tehran in 2024.”

MISLEADING

The evidence confirms that Ismail Haniyeh (the political leader of Hamas) was assassinated in Tehran in 2024, but the claim attributes the assassination to the 'Gaza Prime Minister' whom Ahmed Yusef advised. The evidence identifies Haniyeh as the one assassinated, not a separate Prime Minister.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Ismail_Haniye…

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web search NEUTRAL — Speaking on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies in recent days, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/31/hamass-political-ch…

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web search NEUTRAL — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran.
https://www.lapost.com/israel-hamas-war-latest-hamas-leader-…

info

Claim 20: “Benjamin and Barry promptly delivered the Obama letter to the US Embassy in Cairo on June 4, 2009”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms Benjamin carried a letter from Hamas, but the specific date of June 4, 2009, and the location of the US Embassy in Cairo are not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided text.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Medea About to Murder Her Children by Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix (1862) In Euripides's play Medea, she is a woman scorned, rejected by her husband Jason and revenge seeking.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Medea, in Greek mythology, an enchantress who helped Jason, leader of the Argonauts, to obtain the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeetes of Colchis. She was of divine descent and had the gift of …
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medea-Greek-mythology

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web search NEUTRAL — While Medea, his hapless wife, thus scorned, appeals to the oaths he swore, recalls the strong pledge his right hand gave, and bids heaven be witness what requital she is finding from Jason.
https://classics.mit.edu/Euripides/medea.html

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.