Gaza protesters target Hamas
For the first time since Hamas seized power 18 years ago, Gazans has spoken out against Hamas with a major personal risk, reports Fox News’ Mike Tobin.
Hamas financial and economic operations experts say that the monthly cash transfers of UN agencies to Gaza residents are misinformed the Hamas terrorist organization as the group and associated traders continue to control the flow of money to the enclave.
“Hamas will leverage its role as the de facto ruler of Gaza to extract financial benefits to civilians from aid sent by UN organizations through apps operating in the region,” Eyal told Fox News Digital.
“The aid system is manipulated by Hamas and associated traders. Hamas mainly does this behind the scenes, leveraging control over large merchants, criminal families, and using cash to establish a shadow banking system within Gaza.”
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Gazan in the bazaar was established on the third day of Ramadan, in the tile rub of the Jabaria refugee camp in northern Gaza, north of Gaza, on the third day of Ramadan, after Israel stopped humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. (Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images))
Each month, international organizations send large sums of money to the economy of Gaza. According to open source data, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has given over $1,843 million, reaching 82,636 families, with each family receiving an average of $209. UNICEF’s monthly support averages $5 million, helping to reach at least 20,000 families each month.
“I go to the market and meet people whose job is to provide cash in exchange for pay,” said Shahab Yousef, a resident of Gaza. Israeli news agency TPS-IL. “The fee is 20-30%. If you transfer 1,000 shekels [$271] Return to 700 [$190]”He said, “For large purchases, I pay digitally. But in the market, I need cash and I lose 30% each time.”
Another Gaza resident, Nidal Kawasume, expressed similar complaints with TPS-IL. “These people charge 30% just to give you cash. I just want to take care of my family, but this makes everything cost me. The prices are insane.”
The specific amount received per family each month is about $270 (or 1,000 new Israeli shekels), calculated as 80% of the minimum surviving spending basket, UNICEF told Fox News Digital. Smaller organizations such as UNFPA have also contributed, bringing together a total of around $39.66 million per month, reaching 60% of Gaza households, according to open source data.
The man has a wad of Israeli shekels in Gaza. (Majdi Fathi/TPS)
Despite the scale of direct financial aid reaching more than half the enclave’s population, Gaza’s severe food insecurity and high inflation (91% and 118% as of January 2024, respectively) highlights its importance. But the way this money circulates within Gaza is much more complicated. “Hamas manages a lot of the cash that enters Gaza through various channels,” Ofer told Fox News Digital.
TPS-IL reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar recently warned Hamas’ economic strength in Gaza depends on billions of shekels in cash paid as salaries and quickly reclaimed through merchant taxes. In a letter to Israeli Banking Governor Professor Amir Yaron, Sa’ar urged the cancellation of the distribution of the 200 Shekel bill previously introduced in Gaza, and said experts believe the move will seriously damage Hamas financial network. The Bank of Israel rejected the proposal, citing technical reasons, claiming that implementation was infeasible.
A survey by Ofer found that prices ranged from 20% to 35%. This means that recipients lose a significant portion of their aid just to access them. “in Video from Gazayou can see that traders refuse to accept app funds and force customers to convert them into cash.
Peter Gallo, an international counsel for the United Nations and former investigator at the National Bureau of Monitoring Services (OIOS), told Fox News Digital: To put it in fairness, aid agencies may argue that they have no alternatives. That’s the cost of doing business, but it would have been better if you were honest from the start. ”
The Hamastero group is reportedly succumbing under financial tensions amid Israel’s military interests.
Palestinians buy food and clothing at their local bazaars as daily life continues in the shadow of war in Jabaria, Gaza, on January 15, 2024. (Photo by Mahmoud Shalha/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A UNICEF spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “Unicef is a direct result of Gaza’s cash liquidity crisis and the inability of the banking system to function amid ongoing conflict.
“Since May 2024, UNICEF has introduced fully digital cash payments via e-wallets, which does not require hard cash at any point. Using e-wallets allows recipients of humane digital cash transfers to purchase products such as food, hygiene products, medicines and more,” the spokesman said.
“The use of digital e-wallets works on the most basic smartphones, accessed through the app. Once implemented, these digital cash payments via electronic wallets eliminate the need for cash conversion and, consequently, the need to pay fees. Implementation of the program, including the composition of the beneficiary list, payment schedule, frequency and amount.”
Assistance of the World Food Programme (WFP) at Erez West Crossing, Israel-Gaza border. (IDF spokesman)
A spokesperson said, “Over 1.8 million people surrounded by Gaza’s entire population are tackling extreme food insecurity, with acute malnutrition among children rising at an astonishing rate. Humanitarian cash in Gaza averages USD 5 million, and estimates that these parameters are too small and have a major impact on the local economy.”
The World Food Program did not respond to multiple requests for comments.
“This is another example of Hamas completely ignores the people of Gaza and exploits the systems and infrastructure to maintain murderous terrorist machines,” Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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“It’s unacceptable to turn blind eyes. The UN Security Council has been working to fund terrorism since 2001, but aid agencies continue to ignore the fact that Hamas is profiting from this flow of money despite international efforts to stop funding for terrorism,” Gallo said.
