While the people of Gaza live in utter poverty and are at war with Israel because of Hamas' terrorist attacks, the leaders of the terrorist organization live in opulent luxury in Qatar. Israeli officials say Hamas leaders have amassed billions of dollars.
The figures are staggering when you consider the amount of money some terror chiefs have been able to siphon off. There is no accountability in these countries that support terrorism, that are effectively state sponsors of terrorism,
– Jonathan Schanzer, the Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies has said.
Hamas chiefs Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh each have a fortune of $4 billion, and the head of the political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, boasts a net worth of around $3 billion.
The longer they stay out of the Gaza Strip, the more luxurious lives they live,
– Mr Schanzer said.
The terrorist group is estimated to earn more than a billion dollars a year from a global network that includes cryptocurrencies, real estate, legitimate businesses, and taxing and extorting Gaza residents. These financial maneuvers have made Hamas one of the richest terrorist organizations in the world.
Reports have long claimed one Hamas leader had operated from his "headquarters" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar. In 2015, Mr Mashaal held a press briefing in the hotel's ballroom. In a statement to Fox News, however, the hotel said:
Four Seasons confirms that Ismail Haniyeh is not staying or residing at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha. Information circulating on social media to the contrary is not true.
According to Mr Schanzer, Qatar and Turkey are also well worthy of mention, as these two countries have provided safe havens for Hamas. However, Iran remains the terrorist group's biggest financial donor.
The first and most significant step the US could take to cut off Hamas' funding would be to stop giving money to Iran. This means no more hostage diplomacy, no more six billion dollars in exchange for hostages. None of that can happen if we want to destroy Hamas, Hezbollah and the other terrorist organizations,
– Mr Schanzer said.
The Biden administration has sanctioned a number of Hamas officials and financial operations after the October 7 massacre, including some cash transfers in Gaza, as well as some other operations in Qatar and Turkey. The United States has targeted nearly a thousand individuals and entities accused of terrorism and financing terrorist activities by the Iranian regime and its proxies.
Qatar recently declared that it would "rethink" its relations with Hamas after the war.
