Latest news with #MoumenAl-Natour
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas fighters ‘not paid for three months' because of Israeli aid block
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 week that the cash-strapped terror group had 'a big crisis' on its hands. 'They were mainly dependent on humanitarian aid sold in black markets for cash,' he explained. The renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza has also reportedly targeted Hamas officials involved in distributing cash. Hamas has 'never experienced such conditions before, whether during the current war or in previous periods' and there is a 'clear administrative vacuum', Asharq Al-Awsat wrote. On Monday Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney called on Israel to lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid and stop its military operations in Gaza, a statement that was strongly condemned by the Israeli government. Hundreds of Palestinians were seen in footage posted to social media this week calling for an end to the war and the removal of the group, which has been in power in Gaza for nearly two decades. The protests appear to have been caused by claims from a senior Hamas official that the war with Israel was 'eternal', and that Palestinians would 'produce dozens more babies for each martyr'. 'Out! Out! Out! All of Hamas, out!' the protesters chanted, despite the danger of speaking out against the terror group in the war-torn enclave. In March, a 22-year-old man was tortured to death by armed gunmen after taking part in anti-Hamas demonstrations. Videos from Khan Younis show young men criticising Hamas for selling their 'blood for a dollar… To those with Hamas, be aware the people of Gaza will dig your grave'. Gaza-based journalists reportedly received threats after the protests, warning them not to publish any 'negative news that could affect the morale of the people'. One man, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC: 'The people do not care any more about Hamas's attempts to suppress their voice because they are literally dying from hunger, evacuation, and the bombings.' Hamas is also reported to have lost much of its influence in the Occupied West Bank, with underfunded terror cells not carrying out attacks on Israeli settlers or troops due to fear of military raids. Israel continued its new Gaza offensive on Saturday, with the strip's Hamas-run civil defence agency saying at least 15 people were killed by Israeli strikes. 'Suddenly, a missile from an F-16 destroyed the entire house, and all of them were civilians – my sister, her husband and their children,' said Wissam Al-Madhoun outside Khan Younis's Nasser Hospital, where tearful mourners gathered around white-shrouded bodies. 'We found them lying in the street. What did this child do to Netanyahu?' he added. The Israeli military said it was unable to comment on individual strikes without their 'precise geographical coordinates'. In a statement, the military said that over the past day the air force had struck more than 100 targets across the territory, including members of 'terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, military structures, underground routes and additional terrorist infrastructure'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New report says that Hamas is running out of money
In the aftermath of the short Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel is making a new attempt to cut Hamas off from its funding sources. Last month, Israel cut off shipments of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, which anonymous informants allege Hamas militants had been seizing and selling to raise funds. Israel also killed Hamas officials who filled key financial roles in the terrorist organization, per The Wall Street Journal. 'Even if they sit on large amounts of cash, their ability to distribute it would be very limited right now,' said Eyal Ofer, an expert on Gaza's economy. He told The Wall Street Journal that Hamas usually supplies payments via courier or through geographic disbursement locations. However, 'Those two things would grab attention,' he said. As a result, Hamas is facing a shortage of funds, he said. Moumen Al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer from the Al-Shati camp in central Gaza and an opponent of Hamas, reported that Hamas has 'a big crisis' on its hands, saying the group leaders 'were mainly dependent on humanitarian aid sold in black markets for cash,' according to the Times of Israel. Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said humanitarian aid supplies would eventually resume, but only through 'civilian companies,' to keep food and equipment from falling into the hands of Hamas, according to the Times of Israel. Officials report that Hamas has so far relied on its reserves of roughly $500 million, though those are reportedly dwindling. The Times of Israel noted that Hamas is also struggling to attract new recruits. And, as the Deseret News previously reported, Gazans have been protesting the war, even as Hamas cracks down on protesters who are advocating for Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. BBC reported Tuesday that a Hamas source said Qatari and Egyptian mediators proposed a deal to end the war. Neither Israel nor Hamas have made official comments on a proposed deal. The last agreement collapsed amid accusations from Israel and Hamas that the agreement had been breached. Fighting then resumed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the war will not end until Hamas is destroyed and its hostages are returned, while Hamas has insisted that Israel end the war before the hostages are freed.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Why I and thousands of my fellow Gazans say Hamas's tyranny must end
Moumen Al-Natour is a Gazan lawyer, co-organizer of the 2019 'We Want to Live' street demonstrations and former political prisoner of Hamas. After Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire deal in January, I returned from Khan Younis to my home in Gaza City to find that only one room was still standing. Just enough, I thought, to start piecing my life back together. In March, the bombs started falling again.
