Hamas Exploits Gaza Businesses and Aid for Cash
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Hamas is generating cash through novel means, including taxing Gaza businesses and aid, and charging families for tent encampments, according to Israeli security forces. Iran and Turkey are the main financial backers, with Hamas offering a 30% premium for cash conversions via virtual money exchanges. The organization has also taken over garages to tax vehicle repairs and spare parts, and levies significant monthly taxes on restaurants.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hamas is taxing Gaza businesses, aid trucks, and tent encampments for cash, Israeli intelligence reports.
- Iran and Turkey are Hamas's primary financial backers, with Qatar's funding reduced.
- Hamas offers a 30% premium to convert virtual currency to cash through controlled exchange shops.
- The organization has seized control of garages to tax vehicle repairs and spare parts.
- A popular Gaza restaurant owner reportedly pays Hamas 44,000 shekels monthly in taxes.
- Families in Gaza tent camps are charged 200 shekels monthly for land use.
Hamas has devised creative methods to secure cash, including seizing control of garages in Gaza, levying taxes on aid trucks, and charging families for land used for tents, according to Israeli security intelligence. Iran is currently the primary financial backer of Hamas, followed by Turkey, while Qatar's funding has diminished. Security officials state that Hamas's economic anchor lies with Iran and Turkey, with funds transferred to virtual money clearinghouses in Gaza, accessible through Hamas-controlled money exchange shops.
The organization facilitates the conversion of digital currency to cash by offering a 30% premium, meaning Hamas's money changers pay Gaza residents 130 shekels in virtual currency for every 100 shekel bill. This process involves money changers linked to counterparts in Iran and Turkey, with virtual money transfers occurring online through mutual offsets in clearinghouses in Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. Israeli security agencies, including the Shin Bet and the IDF, are actively working to target and eliminate these money changers and Hamas economic operatives.
Hamas is reportedly willing to pay a significant premium for cash to meet its payroll obligations for its administrative and military personnel in Gaza. The organization has also implemented a tax system on vehicle repairs and spare parts by taking over garages, as it cannot access fuel tankers entering Gaza. It is estimated that Hamas controls most garages in Gaza and also taxes restaurant operators.
One report indicates a popular Gaza restaurant owner was required to pay Hamas approximately 44,000 shekels monthly, a percentage of the establishment's revenue. Furthermore, Hamas charges thousands of families residing in tent camps, particularly in the southern Mawasi area, for land usage. This is done through a scheme where Hamas "leases" land to families, who then make monthly "mortgage" payments, with a typical payment for a family tent plot amounting to 200 shekels per month.
