JERUSALEM — An Israeli government report said Hizbullah and its Iranian sponsors have significantly increased aid to Palestinian insurgency groups. The report said Hizbullah has organized and directed dozens of insurgency cells in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The report said Hizbullah-sponsored cells carried out 68 attacks in 2004, in which 24 Israelis were killed and 52 injured. This comprised 21 percent of the total number of fatalities last year.

The report did not say how much money Iran and Hizbullah have relayed to Palestinian insurgents, Middle East Newsline reported. But later, Israeli security sources said Hizbullah relayed $9 million to Palestinian insurgents in 2004, nine percent of the entire budget of the Beirut-based group.

The Israeli security sources said Hizbullah paid its operatives between 5,000 and 6,000 shekels [$1,200 to $1,380] per attack. They said Hizbullah has formed 51 cells in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Fatah operatives have been the focus of Hizbullah recruitment. The report said Fatah operatives were offered a base of between 3,000 and 5,000 shekels for a lethal attack against Israelis. Bonuses were said to have been provided for attacks that incur in a high number of Israeli casualties.

The report cited Jihad operative Ahmed Hassin, captured in late 2004, said to have received 10,000 shekels, or $2,300, from Hizbullah to prepare a suicide bombing. Hizbullah was said to have promised Yassin that he would receive additional funds after a suicide attack.

"Another noticeable trend in 2004 was increased involvement in Palestinian terrorism by Iran and Hizbullah, as Iran's forward military arm against Israel," the report said. "Hizbullah has activated dozens of terror cells in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria [West Bank]."

"Hizbullah has organized itself in a similar way to Palestinian terror groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad," said the report, based on data from Israel's military and domestic intelligence agency.

The report said Hizbullah has instructed Palestinian cells to launch mass-casualty strikes in Israel. The report said Hizbullah and Iran have also sought to upgrade the capabilities of insurgency groups by relaying expertise on bomb production, weapons smuggling and recruitment.

"In addition, Hizbullah transfers large amounts of money to various terrorist infrastructures," the report said. "The large funds transferred by Hizbullah as well as by Hamas and Islamic Jihad headquarters in Syria, are the fuel for motivating terrorism."

Hizbullah was also said to have given $18,500 to Fatah operative Va'il Ah'naam, located in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Ah'naam was given the money to prepare explosives, purchase weapons and finance attacks, the report said. The money was said to have been transferred to his sister and girlfriend.