The Israeli occupation has been continuing its crimes and violations in Gaza, extending beyond destruction and killing to include the widespread theft of money, gold, and property from Gazans, estimated at tens of millions of dollars. This act violates international law, as such theft falls under the list of financially punishable crimes globally.
The Israeli army acknowledged seizing over 220 million shekels (60 million dollars) from Gaza since the ground invasion of the Strip began on October 27, 2023, until the current month of February, under the pretext of “fighting terrorism.” Additionally, they confiscated 200 million shekels (54.3 million dollars) from the Palestine Bank.
During the ground incursion, reserve soldiers documented videos while looting possessions and assets from Palestinians’ homes in the northern part of Gaza. However, the Israeli army quickly banned their soldiers from sharing such videos showing systematic looting and theft during raids on the homes of Gaza residents.
The videos shared by Israeli soldiers on social networks before the ban revealed various methods of looting and theft, including the invasion of homes where they demanded the residents to leave and then looted them, as seen in Beit Lahia. The soldiers continued to seize belongings and money from Gazans displaced from the northern part of the Strip to the south at checkpoints along Salah al-Din Street.
The ban by the occupation on its soldiers sharing videos of looting and theft in the sector indicates the extensive systematic theft of Gazans’ money, yet Israeli media remained silent on this issue. They refrained from shedding light on the involvement of Israeli soldiers in the deliberate theft of money and assets belonging to Palestinians, including financial sums, gold items, cell phones, and laptops.
Systematic Looting
Confirming the systematic looting by the Israeli army of money and assets of Gaza’s people and institutions, the “Maariv” newspaper revealed this week that an Israeli military force seized 200 million shekels (54.3 million dollars) after raiding the Palestine Bank branch in the Sands neighborhood in Gaza City.
Officers in the army were quoted saying that “Israeli soldiers, while in military operations in the Sands neighborhood in Gaza, risked their lives to lay hands on hundreds of millions of shekels from the Palestine Bank, which was intended for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.”
During an armed attack on the Sands neighborhood, soldiers seized the money after soldiers were shot at by a sniper near the bank. The Israeli force reached the bank and raided it, loading the money onto “Brinks” vehicles, without transferring the money to the Palestinian Authority.
State Treasury
In January, the Israeli army admitted to appropriating 15 million shekels from Palestinian homes in the sector during raids and assaults, transferring them to the financial department of the Ministry of Security for deposit into the state treasury.
The Israeli Channel 12 reported that the “Booty Transport Unit,” part of the Technology and Logistics Division of the Israeli army, seized funds during the ground incursion from Hamas strongholds and active areas, as well as from the homes of individuals sought by Israeli security agencies.
Additionally, at the beginning of January, almost a million dollars, along with Iraqi, Jordanian, and Egyptian currencies, whose values the Israeli ministry did not disclose, were found. The Israeli channel also reported that in a raid at the end of December 2023, approximately 5 million shekels in cash were confiscated in two bags at the home of a senior Hamas figure in Jabalia, with the identity of the senior official not revealed.
In early December 2023, the Israeli army seized 5 million shekels found in the possession of a senior Hamas figure’s house in the Jabalia area. The Israeli forces raided the house without disclosing the identity of the senior figure. According to the Yedioth Ahronoth website.
International Law
Concerning this matter, a specialist in international law and human rights lawyer Moayin Odeh stated that “What is happening in Gaza reflects the phenomenon practiced by the Israeli army and its soldiers of confiscating and stealing Palestinian money, transporting it to Israel under the pretext of fighting terrorism. These funds are allocated to finance armed operations against Israel.”
It is possible that the occupation authorities will carry out their threats and raid more Palestinian banks in Gaza or even in the West Bank, reminiscent of the occupation’s threats to Palestinian banks before to raid them and impose sanctions unless the accounts of prisoners and the families of martyrs who receive monthly allowances are closed.
Odeh emphasized that the Israeli soldiers’ looting operations in the Gaza Strip, including theft and pillaging, are continuations of their theft of Palestinian money or jewelry during search and raid operations on Palestinian cities and homes in the West Bank. The stolen items go into the pockets of the soldiers without any accountability or prosecution.
Odeh pointed out that international law protects civilian populations living under occupation, including their money and properties. This protection extends not only to individuals but also to institutions and private companies, such as banks falling within this protection area. The occupying force has no right to confiscate money and properties.
Financial Crimes
Odeh indicated that Israel uses pretexts and arguments to circumvent international law and the financial violations and crimes it commits by claiming that the seized funds are designated to finance “terrorism,” without providing any evidence or proof of these claims.
Israel is believed to be using the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of Financing “Terrorism” and UN Security Council Resolution 1373 as a justification for seizing any Palestinian funds, despite the vagueness of the convention and resolution, which do not mention an occupying force seizing funds from parties protected by international law.
In conclusion, international law obligates the occupier to do everything possible to provide protection for individuals under occupation, safeguarding their lives, and properties as long as they are not involved in military operations. Consequently, the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian banks should turn to international courts to accuse Israel of committing financial crimes against them and demand the recovery of the funds, as well as compensation for the damage caused.
