Former Shin Bet division chief says Hamas earns up to $5 million daily — Jerusalem Post
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas continues to maintain effective control and receives between $2 million and $5 million every day, said Neomi Neuman, the former head of the research division of the Shin Bet security service. She said this in an interview with KAN News, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Neuman, who now works as a researcher at the Washington Institute, believes that Hamas has become a decentralized system of governance. According to her, Palestinians encounter representatives of the group every day and therefore perceive it as a structure that remains in place.
Revenue and control
According to Neuman's assessment, Hamas receives money through high taxes on goods in the Gaza Strip. She also claims that the group boycotts part of the humanitarian aid and sells goods at high prices on the black market.
Control and coercion in Gaza, she said, are ensured by covert units that intimidate the population, maintain discipline and restore control in areas where the authorities have lost the capacity to operate. Neuman also said that Hamas provides paid services, is the main source of employment and determines which members of the population receive certain resources, creating dependence on itself.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Proposals for governing Gaza
The former Shin Bet official supported continuing the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza. In her view, difficulties are created both by Hamas's demand for the prior withdrawal of Israeli troops and by Israel's demand for the group's disarmament.
Neuman called for the introduction into the Gaza Strip of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and a Multinational Stabilization Force. She believes that governance of the territory should subsequently be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Neuman also stated the need to cut off Hamas's sources of income, prevent its infiltration into institutions and create aid mechanisms that would not depend on the group.
Gilad Kariv, a lawmaker from Israel's Democrats party, responding to Neuman's statements, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the same time, a source in the Gaza Board of Peace told KAN that Israel had not carried out the complete dismantling of Hamas and must fulfill the 20-point agreement it signed.
