A wad of cash found at the home of a high-ranking Hamas official. /Israel Defense Forces
A bundle of cash worth approximately 1.8 billion won was discovered at the home of a high-ranking official of the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, and was confiscated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to the Israeli media ‘The Times of Israel’ on the 18th (local time), the IDF confiscated about 5 million shekels (about 1.78 billion won) worth of cash from a suitcase found in a house in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip. revealed. This house is known to have been where a high-ranking Hamas official stayed.
The IDF posted a photo of the scene where the wad of cash was discovered and said, “The funds discovered at the residence of a high-ranking Hamas official are money that will be used for terrorist activities.” The cash included Israeli shekels, US dollars, and Iraqi and Jordanian dinars.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry estimates that Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh’s personal assets are worth billions of dollars. The U.S. Treasury announced financial sanctions against Hamas last October and said, “While ordinary Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are living poor lives, high-ranking Hamas officials (who were subject to sanctions) are living luxuriously through investments in finance and virtual currency.” .
There were also speculations about the source of Hamas’ funds. According to Matthew Levitt, a former U.S. Treasury official, Hamas is known to collect about $400 million (about 520 billion won) annually, including by imposing a 20% tax on goods imported into the Gaza Strip. Hamas also receives $450 million (about 590 billion won) in income from black market smuggling fees, according to the United States Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a U.S. anti-Iran civic group.
According to the U.S. State Department, Iran is also providing $120 million (about 157 billion won) to Palestinian groups, including Hamas, and experts estimate that Hamas is also receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from other countries, including Qatar. U.S. officials estimated that Hamas has invested more than $500 million (approximately 650 billion won) and up to $1 billion (approximately 1.3 trillion won) in assets in Sudan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). .
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2023-12-19 08:31:53
