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How Did Hamas Fund Its Massive Tunnel System?

(Fox News) Ruth Marks Eglash - Israeli troops fighting inside Gaza have been finding tunnel shafts or underground complexes, including weapons dispensaries or bunkers, discovered beneath homes, schools, mosques and hospitals. Some are vast, elaborate creations replete with elevators, electricity and full ventilation systems. Some are even equipped with bedrooms, bathrooms and dining rooms, as well as command centers. According to Israeli military estimates, Hamas has spent tens of millions of dollars - and the last 16 years - digging and cementing an entire subterranean system rivaling London's Underground. How, in one of the world's most poverty-stricken territories, which relies largely on aid from UN agencies, regional and Western powers, did the terror group have the financial means to invest in such an intricate and expansive tunnel network? Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of the Israel Law Center, said, "Hamas took taxes from its residents and let others pay for everything that, as a government, it was supposed to take care of." Qatar supplied oil and funded humanitarian projects, the PA covered the costs of electricity, water, health and education, while UNRWA - including with funding from the U.S. - took care of a wide variety of needs for some 75% of the population considered refugees. "Hamas does not need to pay a dime for the population. Everything is taken care of by others. This allows them to use their money for military purposes." Dr. Ronnie Shaked, a researcher at the Truman Institute at Hebrew University, noted that Hamas received millions of dollars a year, as well as weapons and military training, from Tehran. Qatar was also directly involved in sending millions of dollars into Gaza.
2024-01-16 00:00:00
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