Gaza: armed groups steal 66 million euros

Criminals steal 66 million euros from the Bank of Palestine

In April, Palestinian armed groups carried out spectacular robberies at several bank branches in Gaza, Le Monde reports.

Published today at 11:25 am.

Gazans are struggling to get cash and the Bank of Palestine is struggling to protect its liquidity (pretext photo)

AFP

Armed Palestinian groups, including one claiming to belong to the Islamist group Hamas, stole a total of 66 million euros from the coffers of several bank branches in Gaza last month, reports said on Saturday. The world.

The French daily had access to a document sent by the Bank of Palestine “to certain international partners” detailing spectacular robberies, including the one that took place at its main agency in Gaza City.

On April 16, employees noticed “that a hole had been drilled in the ceiling of the safe room,” the newspaper explains, specifying that “the criminals obtained ATM cassettes containing the equivalent of 2.8 million euros in Israeli shekels.

Le Monde continues: “The next morning, April 17, armed groups armed with explosives went to the building again” to blow up the cement box that had been poured the day before to protect the money and open three safes, “creating the equivalent of 29 million euros in different currencies were included”.

On April 18, it was the second service, the main one in the city center, that was attacked by a “commando” of men claiming to be “from the highest authorities in Gaza,” a phrase designating Hamas, the newspaper recalled. and left “with the equivalent of 33.6 million euros in Israeli shekels.”

In addition, the Israeli army in turn seized “a large sum of the institution’s money” in the enclave, according to information from Le Monde. The daily also quotes Israeli media, which “reported in February that the amount confiscated amounted to several tens of millions of dollars and that the operation was aimed at preventing Hamas from obtaining this amount.”

Le Monde also describes the difficulties, as a result of the war, for the Bank of Palestine to protect its liquidity and for Gazans to obtain cash. “Only two ATMs remain active, in Rafah and Deir Al-Balah (South), when they are supplied with electricity,” the newspaper underlines.

Finally, “according to testimonies from Gaza residents, confirmed by surveillance camera recordings, armed and masked men ransomed customers in front of distributors, demanding a percentage of their withdrawals,” the newspaper explains.