Palestinians Pay $800 for ‘Donated’ Tents: How Hamas Uses Humanitarian Aid to Fund its War on Israel

By: Baruch Yadid – Tazpit Press Service; tps.co.il

Jerusalem, 15 September, 2024 (TPS) — Despite Gaza’s widespread devastation, Hamas continues paying salaries to its gunmen and civil servants partly through taxing and diverting humanitarian aid and distributing food vouchers — with the help of clans, criminal groups and so-called “People’s Committees.”

An Israeli security official told The Press Service of Israel, “Hamas’ governance situation in the northern Gaza Strip is suffering from progressive necrosis,” adding that humanitarian aid appears to be “intensive treatment” for the terror group. This perspective highlights the complexity of the situation in Gaza, where aid intended to alleviate the suffering of civilians is instead helping to sustain Hamas’s grip on power.

Last week, Hamas managed to pay full salaries to its fighters and partial salaries to thousands of its 27,000 civil servants, TPS-IL has learned. This was done despite the heavy financial burden it places on the terror group, highlighting its determination to maintain its grip on Gaza.

However, the continued financing of its war with Israel has raised concerns about the sources of this funding. Reports indicate that Hamas uses a variety of methods to gather revenue, including the imposition of “transit taxes” on aid trucks carrying food, water, medicine and tents, blankets and other goods into the Strip.

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