Israel Uncovers Hamas Financing Network Funded From Turkey

Latest Developments

Six Israeli Arabs Indicted: Israeli police and the Shin Bet announced on April 10 that they had uncovered a terror financing network linked to Hamas in Turkey. Operated by Israeli Arab citizens, the nexus funneled millions of shekels from Hamas operatives in Turkey into the West Bank to support terrorist activities. The State Attorney’s Cyber Unit office indicted six suspects — Fadi Arabi, Muhammad Tzitz, Adham Dolani, William Hanna, Sami Hanna, and Suhail Bashir — on charges including contact with foreign agents and handling terrorist funds.
Israel Intensifies Operations in West Bank: The IDF said on April 9 that it had expanded counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank, arresting two terrorists and seizing weapons, including “combat equipment,” during overnight raids. Israel Police’s elite Unit 33 wounded and arrested Mahmoud al-Bana, a key commander in the defunct Lions’ Den terrorist group. The operations additionally led to the arrest of arms dealer Khalil al-Hanbali by the IDF’s Duvdevan commando unit.
West Bank Hamas Cell Arrested in Intelligence Operation: The Shin Bet and Israel Police announced on March 31 the arrest of six Palestinian suspects from the northern West Bank city of Nablus for planning attacks under the direction of Hamas operatives based in Turkey. Israeli security forces seized an M-16 rifle, $60,000 in cash, and located a buried explosive device, which was safely dismantled, the Shin Bet said. The investigation revealed the cell’s financial and operational links to Hamas abroad and detailed how the Islamist group transferred funds to its operatives in the West Bank.

FDD Expert Response

“After more than a year of ongoing conflict, Hamas in Gaza is currently unable to mount a significant military response against Israel. Nevertheless, this incapacity does not imply that the group has ceased its attempts to orchestrate attacks on other fronts. Hamas’s operations in Turkey serve as one such example, and a concerning development is the increasing sophistication of these efforts, including the recruitment of Israeli Arabs to become a part of a network that supports terrorism.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Foiling terrorist attacks directed by Hamas’s base in Turkey is a frequent occurrence. In 2024 alone, the Shin Bet prevented two similar attacks intended to strike inside Israel, again directed by Hamas personnel inside Turkey. Interpreting these attacks as the clandestine activities of a terrorist organization is a mistake. Hamas has the open support and commitment of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who recently reiterated his desire for ‘Allah…[to] destroy and devastate Zionist Israel.’” — Sinan Ciddi, Non-resident Senior Fellow