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By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
During a raid of Hamas strategic locations in Gaza, the IDF seized receipts that tell the story of Hamas’ financial exploitation of Gazans.
These receipts, which were analyzed by IDF intelligence officials, detail the luxurious lifestyle of Hamas leaders while the majority of Palestinians in Gaza live in dire poverty.
Although Hamas leaders often blame Israel for the desperate living conditions of Gazans, the receipts revealed that Moaz Haniyeh, the fourth son of Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh, spent an amount of money on jewelry that would be the equivalent of two years’ salary for the average Gazan.
Moaz bought jewelry in Qatar and Gaza in 2022 for over $25,000, with other receipts showing similar extravagance.
The Israeli embassy in the US publicized that Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal each have a net worth of $4 billion.
In addition, the lavish lifestyles of Hamas leaders have been well-documented in the Saudi press and publications worldwide.
The conclusions drawn by these receipts are consistent with an IDF report published in 2018 documenting the decline in the living standard of Gazans as a direct result of money being diverted from aid to sustain Hamas’ military and personal budgets.
According to the report, Hamas allocates 55% of its budget to fund its military needs and its share in the rehabilitation of Gaza is less than 5% of the total investment.
In addition, Hamas exacts high tariffs on the goods sold to Gazans, further exacerbating their poverty.
The IDF report also stated that “Hamas began imposing a ‘solidarity tax’ in 2015. This tax was touted as a mechanism to support the poor in Gaza but the money has actually been used mainly to pay the salaries of Hamas workers and militants.”
