Army says Gaza-West Bank terror funding network exposed
IDF claims enterprise was run through passport-issuing agency in coastal enclave; money used for terror activities and salaries of Hamas operatives
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The IDF said Wednesday it arrested Hamas members linked to a money transfer network that funneled cash from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank for terror purposes.
The network was operated by a passport-issuing agency named “Al-Haramain” in the Gaza Strip, the army said.
Money was transferred by offsetting debts between a number of independent money exchangers while using a minimal amount of cash. Hence it did not require registration in the world banking systems, the IDF said.
The large amounts of money transferred through this method were used for organizational terror activity and for funding the salaries of Hamas operatives.
The army said it had arrested Hamas members Mohammad Abu Salim, Ibrahim Muzaffar and Khaled Muzaffar in the central West Bank on Tuesday as part of the operation to uncover the funding network, but did not say what their role in the scheme was.
The Mazaris both served time in Israeli prison in the past for security-related offenses.
The IDF said it was bolstering “enforcement measures against civilian companies cooperating with terror organizations in the area and in the Gaza Strip.”
