Hamas is so low on cash that it can’t pay its fighters

Terror group Hamas has been routed by the Israeli military. So much so that Israel controls almost all of Gaza. But Hamas is facing a new problem in Gaza: coming up with the cash it needs to pay its rank and file.

Last month, Israel cut off supplies and humanitarian goods to Gaza, much of which Hamas had been seizing and selling to raise funds, according to Arab, Israel and Western officials.

According to Arab intelligence officials, salaries to many Hamas government workers have stopped, and since last month, many senior operatives and political figures have only gotten about half their usual pay. Rank-and-file Hamas operatives have been getting only about $200-$300 a month.

Moumen Al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer from the Al-Shati camp in central Gaza, said that Hamas has “a big crisis” on its hands. “They were mainly dependent on humanitarian aid sold in black markets for cash,” explained Al-Natour, who has opposed the Hamas regime.

By the time a January ceasefire started, Hamas was in a crisis, but the truce brought in more aid, reviving its finances, officials said. But when the ceasefire collapsed in March, Israel halted aid deliveries and resumed its attacks on Hamas, deepening the group’s plight.

The Israeli offensive has targeted Hamas officials who were involved in distributing cash to members, while others have gone into hiding, Arab intelligence officials told the newspaper.

In addition to not being able to pay its operatives, Hamas is also struggling to get new recruits and maintain a united front among the population against Israel, with Gazans occasionally demonstrating against the group for not ending the war, the report noted.

While it has seemed to be a goal of leftists and certain Western nations to do everything they can to stop Israel from finishing Hamas off, even with their efforts, Hamas seems to be getting weaker by the day, and getting closer and closer to collapse.