The “Times of Israel” reported today (Thursday) that the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, stated his intention to declare five money exchange companies in the West Bank as terrorist organizations. This decision is based on allegations of these companies facilitating financial transfers to the Palestinian movements “Hamas” and “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, there have been reports of the Israeli security forces arresting 20 individuals overnight in connection with these money transfers to the Palestinian groups.
The report also mentioned that approximately 10 million Israeli Shekels (around 2.8 million US dollars) were seized from nine branches belonging to these five exchange companies.
The conflict, which has escalated dramatically since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages, has led to a substantial Israeli military response.
In response to Hamas’s actions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an extensive military assault on Gaza, causing widespread destruction in areas ruled by Hamas. This Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of 195 Palestinians and injuries to 325 in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza health ministry. The total number of casualties in the Palestinian territory since October 7 has reached approximately 21,110 killed and 55,243 wounded.
The Israeli military has reported that it has targeted over 100 locations in the southern regions of the Gaza Strip in 24 hours. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes, many for multiple times. The conflict has also seen action on Israel’s northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets and weaponized drones, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes in Lebanon.
Internationally, the situation has attracted considerable attention and concern. The United States has been urging Israel to scale down its military operations from a full-blown assault to more targeted actions against Hamas leaders. Despite these efforts, Israel has stated its intention to continue fighting until Hamas is completely destroyed, as indicated by Netanyahu adviser Mark Regev in his statement to CNN.
