As you understand, I don’t like getting into the political sphere an excessive amount of because it’s method too controversial, however I’ve simply obtained round to watching the BBC Panorama programme aired on February 19 about Hamas’s secret monetary empire. It’s fascinating and, sadly, solely out there on the BBC iPlayer, so far as I do know. It’s properly value watching to grasp extra concerning the mechanics of battle and struggle.

Introduced by John Ware, one of many BBC’s veteran journalists, we’re walked by the problems within the territory which make way more sense than simply seeing bombings and civilian deaths. We all know there’s a human disaster going down over there, and the query the programme raises is: may it have been averted by tackling Hamas’s financial institution accounts?

It makes the struggle make extra sense and will equally apply to different conflicts.

The core argument is that governments ought to assault the supply of funding moderately than the supply of weapons. For instance, John states that “some inside Israeli intelligence consider this struggle, with its horrible human price, may have been averted. They are saying a possibility was missed some years in the past to throttle the Hamas army machine by going after its monetary empire.”

He then interviews the previous Head of Financial Warfare for Mossad, Udi Levy, who led the Israeli Intelligence pressure.

“We got here many occasions and stated to the Prime Minister (Netahanyu), ‘we consider that when you have a call that we’ve got to crush Hamas, I feel that we’ve got the instruments by utilizing solely the monetary instruments … we by no means obtained any reply to our proposal. By no means.”

Udi Levy, former Head of Financial Warfare for Mossad

OK, so possibly Udi has an axe to grind however, as a result of the Prime Minister didn’t hear or didn’t wish to hear, there was a significant incident on October seventh, 2023. Killing over 1,000 Israeli’s, who had been having fun with a music pageant, in addition to alleged rapes and assaults on ladies specifically, it was a horrific day and sparked the main retaliation we’ve got seen ever since by Israeli forces.

Half of Gaza’s constructing have been broken or destroyed and, by the tip of February 2024, only a few months later, 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in accordance with the Hamas run Ministry of Well being, primarily ladies and kids.

So why did Hamas assault the music pageant within the first place, figuring out that such retaliation can be probably?

Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the UK and another international locations*, represents the governmental construction of Palestine and the leaders of the struggle towards Israel. Why struggle? Effectively, in accordance with Hamas, it’s for the 56 years of occupation, 17 years of a suffocating blockade, and limitless wars which can be carried out with impunity throughout that interval.

What’s fascinating, and that is what programme explores in additional depth, is how Hamas can afford its weapons and struggle. It appears to be fuelled by numerous components together with:

• Funds for humanitarian support despatched to Gaza that was meant to be spent on supporting residents however was as a substitute spent on funding different actions;
• 30% tax on all items and commerce out and in of Gaza, which is a wholesome supply of revenue; and
• tunnels.

Estimates differ from 100 to 500 kilometres of tunnels beneath the streets of the West Financial institution, with large shops of weaponry and troops for the struggle towards Israel. Behind these shops of destruction is cash.

The BBC obtained entry to paperwork that present not less than a half a billion {dollars} belonging to Hamas is invested primarily in property abroad. Mr. Levy claims that it’s not tens of millions … it’s billions and even multibillions.

How can that be?

Effectively, the money is taken from the West Financial institution to Istanbul after which unfold throughout Saudi, Qatar, Egypt, Sudan, the Gulf and different international locations. It’s all completely legit in accordance with the Turkish monetary authorities. Particularly Iran, Qatar and different nations are recognized as financially supporting Hamas and, because of the present battle, are more likely to enhance their help.

“Frankly, the monetary management may stroll out of the job that they do for a terrorist organisation right into a FTSE 100 firm management place with no bother in any respect. Their monetary expertise are first amongst equals.”

Tom Keatinge, Centre for Monetary Crime Research, RUSI

Such a tragic state of affairs however, going again to the central level, it’s all about cash to fund struggle moderately than the opposite method round and, as John Ware concludes the programme: “with neither facet providing a imaginative and prescient for a sustainable future, a brand new and even darker age beckons”.

Such a disgrace.

Extra protection right here, if .

* Hamas tasks itself as a resistance motion and Israel as a terrorist state