Israeli forces raid foreign exchange shops in occupied West Bank; one dead
Exchange shops in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron Arrabeh, el-Bireh, Bethlehem, Jenin and Tubas were attacked on Tuesday, residents said.
In the northern city of Nablus, Israeli soldiers raided a foreign exchange belonging to the Al-Khaleej company and a gold store, according to local media reports. They also fired smoke bombs in the centre of Jenin, and streets were closed in Tubas and Bethlehem in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health said one man was killed and eight injured by live ammunition during a raid in Nablus.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it treated 20 people for tear gas inhalation and three injured by rubber bullets.
The raids on foreign exchanges came as Israel continued its intensified military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians since the war began on October 7, 2023, as tens of thousands of people starve in the besieged enclave.Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday said Israel conducted the raids on foreign exchanges on suspicions that the shops supported 'terrorism'. The radio station also said the operation resulted in the confiscation of large amounts of money designated for 'terrorism infrastructure' in the West Bank.
'Israeli forces are taking action against Al-Khaleej Exchange Company due to its connections with terrorist organisations,' a leaflet left by Israeli forces at the company's Ramallah location read.
Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut said Israeli authorities have not released an official statement yet but an official talked to the Israeli media about the raids.
'This official said earlier that Israel 'believes' – not that it has any evidence or proof – but 'believes' that these cash exchange places are funnelling money to what they call terror organisations,' said Salhut, who was reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Israel has banned Al Jazeera from reporting from Israel and the West Bank.
'The people who own these shops say they were not given any sort of proof by the Israeli military,' she added.
Salhut said it was the fourth time such raids have taken place since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
'The first time was in December of 2023 when five different cash exchange places were raided by the Israeli military and they seized nearly $3m,' she said. 'It happened again in August 2024 and again in September of that same year.'
Hamas denounced the Israeli raids, saying they 'constitute a new chapter in the occupation's open war against the Palestinian people, their lives, their economy, and all the foundations of their steadfastness and perseverance on their land'.
'These assaults on economic institutions, accompanied by the looting of large sums of money and the confiscation of property, are an extension of the piracy policies adopted by the [Israeli] occupation government,' the Palestinian group said in a statement, adding that the targeted companies were 'operating within the law'.
Hamas urged the Palestinian Authority to take measures against the Israeli attacks.
Separately, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement said the raids are 'part of the open war against our people, targeting their very existence and cause'. The group also urged the Palestinian Authority to 'defend' Palestinians from such attacks and 'halt its policy of security coordination' with Israel.
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