Western sanctions limiting Iran's aid: Hamas increasingly 'desperate'
ABU DHABI — Iran was said to have reduced the flow of aid to Hamas.
A Kuwaiti newspaper reported that Iran was struggling to maintain
funding to the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported.
On March 30, the Al Jareeda daily attributed the drop in Teheran's support to Western sanctions on banks
and other Iranian assets.
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"Hamas is desperate for funds," a Palestinian source said.
In March 2010, Hamas raided a branch of Palestine Bank and stole
$800,000. The money, in an account held by a Hamas-controlled
non-governmental organization, had been frozen by the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian sources said Hamas has been trading Israeli shekels and U.S.
dollars on the black market. They said the Islamist regime has taken
advantage of the gap between the official rate and that of the black market.
In February 2010, Hamas failed to pay salaries to security forces and
other civil servants. The regime attributed this to technical delays.
The sources said Teheran has maintained funding to Hamas security forces
in the Gaza Strip. They said the Iranian money has gone directly to Hamas
military chief Ahmed Jabari, deemed the most powerful figure in the Islamist
regime.