[Yahoo] Hamas has not paid its fighters for three months due to Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid preventing the group seizing and selling supplies, according to reports.
Members of the al-Qassam brigades, Hamas’ military wing, have not received any pay since around February, a source from within the terror group told the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
Families of terrorists killed or captured during fighting with Israel are also reported to have not received their usual remuneration.
Hamas’s civil workers were said to have received a reduced salary equivalent of $250 four months ago, which “sparked resentment among employees”. It is not clear if they have been paid since.
Budgets allocated towards ministries and government agencies were also reported to have been put on hold around the same time.
Israel cut off supplies of humanitarian aid to Gaza in March, some of which Hamas had reportedly been seizing and selling to raise money. Around 100 aid lorries were allowed to reenter the strip on Friday, but this was much reduced from the around 600 a day that were crossing the border before March.
Moumen Al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer from the Al-Shati camp in central Gaza, told the Wall Street Journal last month that the cash-strapped terror group had “a big crisis” on its hands.
Israel Hayom - Hamas struggling to pay terrorists, procure weapons
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