IDF exposes terror tunnel (Archive)
Photo: IDF Spokesman
Two Gazans arrested on suspicion of smuggling terror funds for Hamas
Itallah Sarhan and Faiz Attar smuggled tens of thousands of euros from Gaza to the West Bank by hiding them in special shoes provided to them by Hamas operations; Sarhan also provides information on location of terror tunnels and rocket-launching spots.
The Shin Bet and Israel Police arrested two Palestinians last month on the suspicion they were involved in the smuggling of money from Gaza to Hamas operatives in the West Bank, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday.
In his interrogation, Itallah Sarhan, 27, a truck driver working for a company Hamas and Islamic Jihad employ to clear sand from tunnel-digging sites, revealed a lot of information about tunnel openings he saw during his work.
Some of the tunnels, he said, can be accessed through civilian structures, including residential buildings and mosques.
He also disclosed information about rocket-launching spots located near civilian structures, "in a way that endangers the civilian population in the Strip," the Shin Bet said.
Shoe fitted to hide money in.
Sarhan was arrested two weeks after obtaining an entry permit to Israel. On the day after he received the permit, he was approached by a Hamas police officer in Gaza who recruited him to smuggle money to the West Bank.
The Hamas police officer introduced him to other Hamas operatives who paid him for the job and provided him with a pair of shoes in which the money could be hidden. They also promised to aid him if he got caught.
The investigation found Sarhan was aware of the fact he was transporting Hamas money meant to fund the terror organization's activities in the West Bank.
The second suspect is Faiz Attar, 65, from Beit Lahiya, who also has an entry permit to Israel for the purposes of conducting trade.
He was arrested after he too worked as a courier for terror funds for Hamas operatives in the West Bank.
Israeli security forces suspect Attar was approached by Hamas operatives and asked to smuggle money through the different border crossings.
He too did so by hiding the money in his shoes and was able to transfer tens of thousands of euros.
In his interrogation, he provided the Shin Bet with information on the terror activities of his family members, and their involvement in activities against the IDF and in tunnel-digging. Among other things, he revealed his sons used his home to hold Hamas meetings.
