The IDF admits that in the last year huge funds have flowed into the armed apparatus of the Islamist movement. In a joint operation with the Shin Bet eliminated Abdel Hay Zoqout and Ra’ad Sa’ad in Gaza City.
Wednesday morning Israel Defense Forces have recognized that, over the last year, tens of millions of dollars they were collected and transferred to the military wing of Hamasmore than two years after the start of the war. An admission that brings the theme of the conflict back to the center of the conflict financing and the networks that allow the Islamist movement to maintain its operational capabilities intact despite military pressure. In a post on X, the Arab spokesperson of the IDF, Avichay Adraeerevealed that «two weeks ago, in a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces and the General Security Service (Shin Bet), the Hamas terrorist was eliminated Abdel Hay Zoqoutresident of Gaza City.” Zoqout, belonging to the financial department of the military wing, was shot while he was in his vehicle, together with Ra’ad Sa’ad. «Over the last year Zoqout was responsible for recruiting tens of millions of dollars and transferring them to the military wing of Hamas, with the aim of continuing the fight against the State of Israel,” he stressed Adraeehighlighting the central role of man in the management of money flows destined for the armed structure. According to Israeli assessments, the funds that feed the military and political wings of Hamas they follow a complex and multilevel chainbuilt to resist sanctions and international law enforcement activities. At the base there are contributions coming from Allied states ( Qatar first and foremost) and by regional support networks, which guarantee a constant financial allocation. Added to these are private donations collected abroad, in particular through intermediaries, front associations and informal networks that are difficult to trace. Some of the money passes through civil and welfare structures operating a Gazawhich act as a hub between the external level of collection and the internal level of distribution. From here, the resources are progressively channeled towards the financial department of the military wing, responsible for distributing them towards the operational departments: armaments production, underground infrastructure, fighters’ salaries and logistics.
In this system, figures like Zoqout play a key role: they collect, hide and redistribute money, ensuring financial continuity even in the most intense phases of Israeli military operations. It is precisely this chain that Israel aims to break, hitting not only the fighters, but also the economic nodes of the organization. The IDF reiterated that it “will continue to work to disrupt terrorist financing channels and take action against any entity involved in terrorism or in providing assistance in the planning and execution of plots against the State of Israel”, outlining a strategy that combines field operations with targeted action against financial infrastructures. The elimination of Ra’ad Sa’ad dates back to December 13, when an airstrike hit the western part of Gaza City. Considered one leading figure of the military wing, Sa’ad he had spent a long period inside the network of tunnels that surround the city, but in the hours before the operation he had traveled by car. Upon reaching the Al-Nabulsi square area, the vehicle was hit by multiple missiles. He was also killed in the attack Zoqout. According to security sources, Sa’ad he was believed to be one of the deputies of Az a-Din al-Haddad and in fact held the role of head of operationsas well as being responsible for the department of production of rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles. He was involved in decision-making at the top of the military wing, had sensitive intelligence information and had in-depth knowledge of the tunnel infrastructure. In November 2023 the IDF had distributed leaflets in Gaza offering a reward of $800,000 for information useful for his capture. A first attempt to eliminate it, in June last year, failed. The December operation now closes a chapter which, however Israelis part of a larger campaign: hitting men, money and networks that allow Hamas to continue fighting.
