Police say $450,000 seized in yesterday’s raid on Ramallah money changer accused of funding Hamas

Israeli police say that security forces seized roughly 1.5 million shekels ($447,000) of “terror funds” during a raid in the West Bank yesterday that targeted a local currency exchange office linked to Hamas.

A statement from a police spokesman says Border Police and IDF soldiers “raided a money exchange business in the heart of Ramallah that was used to transfer funds to the Hamas terror organization.”

“Forces seized significant sums of money in both foreign and local currencies, with a total value of approximately 1,528,832 shekels, including US dollars, Jordanian dinars, euros, and other foreign currencies,” the statement says.

“Nine wanted suspects accused of involvement in terror activity were arrested and taken, together with the seized evidence, for investigation,” it adds.

Dozens of Palestinians were wounded in the raid, according to the Red Crescent. Some were hit by live rounds, while the rest were injured by rubber bullets or tear gas inhalation, the organization said.

Israel carries out frequent raids across the West Bank, where tensions have remained high throughout the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 ,2023, onslaught. However, incursions into central Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, are relatively rare.