The Israeli Defense Forces have seized more than $1.3 million in cash found inside suitcases at the home of a senior Hamas member in northern Gaza, Times of Israel reported. According to the IDF spokesman, in addition to the huge amount of cash, many weapons including explosive devices, military equipment, and RPGs were also found in the house. It was not disclosed who the senior Hamas official was.
Official X handle of Israel Defense Forces shared the photo of the seized cash and wrote, ''You are looking at 5,000,000 NIS, which is roughly over $1,000,000. These funds—found inside a senior Hamas terrorist's residence— were designated for terrorist activity. What could this money have been used for? Provisions of clean water, electricity, and fuel for the residents of Gaza.''
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According to the IDF, members of the Multidomain Unit, also known as the Ghost Unit were advancing in the few remaining strongholds of northern Gaza when they came across the cash. The IDF said it also carried out strikes against more than 150 sites in the Gaza Strip over the past day.
Several reports have claimed that several top Hamas leaders are billionaires and living in opulence while the Palestinians in Gaza are struggling for essential needs.
Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, Moussa Abu Marzuk and Khaled Mashal, are reportedly living a lavish life in Qatar and Turkey, enjoying luxury accommodations and private jets. Their combined fortune is estimated at $11 billion, as per a New York Post report.
Hamas allegedly makes hundreds of millions of dollars through trade with Iranian partners, cryptocurrency investments, taxes, extortion and even smuggling, US officials told NBC News.
"It's just really the numbers that are shocking, looking at the sheer amount of money that some of these terror chiefs have been able to sock away," Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News.
"The longer they stay away from the Gaza Strip, the more they live in the lap of luxury," Mr Schanzer added.
