In an address to Hamas teachers in Gaza City, Haniyeh said the Islamic
regime was not receiving assistance from the West, Middle East Newsline reported. He did not cite Iranian
assistance, said to comprise the largest element in the
governmental budget.
At the same time, Hamas has reported an increase in military power.
Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif said the Islamic forces were "harder
and more powerful."
"We are now stronger than before or during the war, and our silence
over the past two years was only to evaluate the situation," Hamas
military spokesman Abu Obeida said on Dec. 25. "We won't face the current
attempts of the enemy to escalate the situation with silence."
Haniyeh said on Dec. 23 that Hamas required $25 million per month to
fund civil service. He said this included the security forces, reported at
about 20,000.
"They [civil servants] now number some 34,000 people," Haniyeh said.
In 2010, Hamas suspended or reduced civil service salaries for the first
half of the year. By June, officials said Hamas received sufficient aid as
well as tax revenue to pay police and other government employees.
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