Hamas receives $100 million yearly from Iran: report

In September 2023, President Joe Biden unfroze some $6 billion in Iranian assets, in exchange for the return of five American civilians held in Iranian prisons.

By World Israel News Staff

An investigation into the finances of Hamas revealed that the Gaza-based terror group receives some $100 million in annual funding from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Additionally, Hamas collects some $600 million from Gazans in yearly taxes as the governing body of the coastal enclave.

In September 2023, President Joe Biden unfroze some $6 billion in Iranian assets, in exchange for the return of five American civilians held in Iranian prisons.

At the time, former President Donald Trump called Biden an “incompetent fool” for the move, emphasizing that the money would “be used for terrorism all over the Middle East, and, indeed, the world.”

Since the outbreak of the war following Hamas’ Oct. 7th massacres, the terror group’s primary source of financing – taxes in Gaza – is now untenable.

Hamas is increasingly dependent upon charitable funds from abroad, presumably donated by those who believe they are helping Gazan civilians, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

But the U.S. and Israel are butting heads regarding how to ensure that charitable funds transferred into the Strip actually reach civilians and are not seized by Hamas.

Facing increasing pressure from the Democratic party, the Biden administration is pushing Israel to allow greater amounts of funds to enter the Strip.

But pointing to numerous charitable organizations that have been corrupted by Hamas and other terror groups, such as UNRWA, Israel has advocated for a far more cautious approach when it comes to monetary aid for Gaza.

“We are already seeing online grassroots campaigns, linked to so-called charities that we’ve previously designated [as terror-affiliated], solicit funds under the guise of humanitarianism,” said Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, told the Journal.