(NBC News) Dan De Luce - More than 80% of Gazans live in poverty, according to the UN. Hamas, however, has funded an armed force of thousands equipped with rockets and drones and built a vast web of tunnels under Gaza. Estimates of its annual military budget range from $100 million to $350 million. Since seizing power in Gaza in 2007, Hamas has filled its coffers with hundreds of millions in international aid, cash from Iran and ideological partners in Turkey, Kuwait and Malaysia, as well as cryptocurrency, taxes, extortion and smuggling, U.S. officials say. "All the funds that were supposed to go to the public, most of it went to their military capability," said Neomi Neumann, former head of research for the Israel Security Agency. "In retrospect, it was a mistake to allow a terrorist organization to control Gaza," an Israeli official said. "We intend to rectify that mistake now."
2023-10-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive