Hamas financing scheme exposed

Minister Lieberman signs order for security forces at Ashdod Port to seize several containers of textiles destined for Gaza after discovering that Hamas uses funds from their sale to finance terror activities, pay operatives.

Yoav Zitun |Published: 09.28.18 , 23:31

The Ministry of Defense's National Counterterrorism Bureau announced on Thursday that it had uncovered a terrorist financing infrastructure for Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank . The scheme was exposed in a joint operation of the IDF, the Tax Authority and the Shin Bet.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

It is suspected that Hamas used textile merchants who import large containers into the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas figure Hamed Khudari, through his financial exchange business, declared by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman as a terrorist organization, contacted Gaza businessmen and persuaded them to work with him in exchange for financial benefits.

Impounded merchandise (Photo: Tax Authority Spokesperson)

"We are working against Hamas on all fronts, attacking their arms stores and drying up their funding sources," Defense Minister Lieberman tweeted, adding that "this is why I established a national headquarters for economic warfare against terrorism, which together with the Shin Bet, the army and the tax authority, is already producing results. We will continue to fight terrorism, terrorists, their agents and the economic infrastructure, by all means and with wisdom."

(Photo: Tax Authority Spokesperson)

Thousands of textile products were supposed to be sold to Gaza residents, ostensibly earmarked for Hamas activity in Gaza and the West Bank, among other things, for paying salaries to Hamas operatives and their families, arms purchases and funding of hostile terrorist activity.

(Photo: Tax Authority Spokesperson)

With the help of intelligence and operational activities in the field, security forces, together with customs officials of the Israel Tax Authority, managed to confiscate several containers under an administrative seizure order signed by Defense Minister Lieberman.

In recent days an order was signed by Minister Lieberman to seize four containers in the port of Ashdod with tens of thousands of dollars of textile products destined for the Gaza Strip has. These containers are I addition to two previous containers seized by Ashdod customs officials about two weeks ago.