Israeli PM 'miss chance' to starve Hamas of cash

Israel prime minister turn down di chance to starve Hamas of cash, years before di murder attack last October, according to one former senior Israeli intelligence officer.

Udi Levy tell BBC Panorama say im bin advise Benjamin Netanyahu to target Hamas finances.

Im believe say dis for affect di group military build-up, but say dem no use di intelligence.

Di Israeli prime minister office no respond to di accuse.

Hamas gunmen bin kill about 1,200 pipo and take more dan 250 hostages on 7 October last year, wen dem cross into southern Israel. One hundred and thirty hostages still dey unaccounted for.

Israel military response don kill 29,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza Hamas-run health ministry.

Oga Levy – wey be head of economic warfare for Mossad, Israel spy agency, until 2016 – say im bin tell Oga Netanyahu many times say Israel get wetin e take to crush Hamas, wey dey control Gaza, "by using only dia financial tools".

Oga Levy say im no get feedback to im proposal from OgaNetanyahu.

Wen dem ask if im feel say connection dey between Oga Netanyahu alleged reluctance to deal wit Hamas finances and di 7 October attack, Oga Levy no doubt am.

"Yes, of course," e tok. "Di chance say... im for [fit] prevent plenty money" wey don go into Gaza, and e add say "di monster wey Hamas don build probably [no go] be like di same monster we face on October 7th."

Hamas for need "billions, no be millions" of dollars, di former spy chief tok, to build hundreds of kilometres of tunnels underneath Gaza and pay for an estimated 30,000-strong military force.

One specific funding stream, wey Oga Levy say im bin raise wit Oga Netanyahu for 2014, na one alleged multi-million-dollar investment portfolio wey Israeli intelligence say bin dey controlled by Hamas and e dey managed out of Turkey.

Oga Levy say Oga Netanyahu bin chose not to act on di information.

Hamas, wey reject Israel right to exist and dey committed to dia destruction, dey much more dan just a military force. Na political movement wey get financial support wey extend well beyond Gaza.

"We bin speak about Qatar and Iran as di main sponsors," Oga Levy tok of im conversations wit Oga Netanyahu. "Turkey, in some aspect, dey more important because na critical focal point for Hamas to manage [dia] financial infrastructure."

Panorama bin dey investigate some documents, wey dem acquire some time before 7 October attack, e reveal di extent of Hamas investment portfolio. Di documents na snapshot of eight-month period wey end for early 2018. Israeli intelligence say dem show how Hamas make some of dia money.

About 40 companies wey dey across di Middle East and north Africa dey believed to dey di portfolio, including Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, the Gulf and also Turkey.

Di alleged investments include eviritin from road construction, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to tourism, mining, gold prospecting and luxury real estate projects.

Since 2022, six of di companies wey dem list for di documents dey designated by US Treasury say dem dey directly or indirectly owned or controlled by Hamas. Di US don restrict dia ability to trade by sanctioning dem.

Next to each company wey dey listed for di portfolio ledger na wetin dem say be di value of each Hamas-controlled holding, wey dey run into millions of dollars for some of di companies - and add up to a total value of $422,573,890 (£335m).

Much of dat value dey tied up for real estate.

Property investments, wey hold dia value get di potential for rental income, na "perfect way" for any organisation like Hamas to manage dia finances, Tom Keatinge tok, founding director of di Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies (CFCS) for Royal United Services Institute (Rusi).

One of di companies wey US sanction na Trend GYO - one Turkish real estate firm. For di 2018 document, e reference am several times as Anda Turk - wey documents show say na old trading name, before dem change di name to Trend and float for Istanbul stock exchange.

Di 7 October attacks or, as Hamas call dem, "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", Trend's former chairman, Hamid Abdullah al-Ahmar praise am recently – e bin step down for 2022 but remain as di head of Trend parent company.

E tok for one conference for Istanbul for January 2024, Dem feem am wen im tok say: "We meet... while di Aqsa Flood dey at dia peak, one sweeping and roaring flood wey no go stop before di occupation of im beloved Palestine go dey defeated."

Im tell dem for di conference to "work to criminalise Zionism as a racist and terrorist movement".

Panorama bin write to Oga al-Ahmar but im no reply.

Trend tell us say di US Treasury allegations of links between di company and Hamas dey "unfair and unfounded".

Di Turkish authorities say dem bin investigate Trend and dem no find "any abuse of our nation financial system" and add say Turkey dey abide by international financial rules.

Hamas, however, get a variety of oda long-term financial sources.

One of dia most important early fundraisers na Yahya Sinwar, na him dey head Hamas political wing for Gaza.

According to Israel, im begin raise funds for Hamas wen im dey Israeli prison cell. For 1988, Sinwar dem jail am for murdering Palestinians im bin dey suspect say im bin dey spy for Israel.

Micha Koubi, one former Israel security agency officer say im bin interrogate Sinwar for more dan 150 hours. E say Sinwar bin manage to forge links wit Iran by sending dem covert messages from prison.

For 2007, a year afta Hamas enta power, Israel and dia neighbour Egypt tighten di blockade on Gaza, both of dem say dem dey concerned about dia security. Oga Koubi say Sinwar Iranian connections help am to beat di blockade.

"Im send messengers to Iran, to start di contact. E ask dem to send... weapons and arms. And dem agree to help [Hamas] wit eviritin wey dem need.

"Dat na di beginning."

Cash for Hamas also come from di Gulf state of Qatar, both overtly and covertly, according to former Mossad officer, Udi Levy.

Israel agree say some of dat money dem deliver am as cash wit dia blessing. Di money na to pay di salaries of officials for Hamas goment and provide humanitarian support for di pipo of Gaza.

"Di Qataris [bin] get a special envoy wey dey come every month, wit one private jet to Rafah wit one suitcase, enta Gaza, give am to Hamas, say hello and go back, jus like dat ," na so Oga Levy tok.

E tell Panorama say im believe say "a significant sum of dis money" bin go to "support Hamas military arm".

Billions more dey provided by UN agencies, di EU, di Palestinian Authority for West Bank, and numerous charities. All na for humanitarian purposes.

Rusi Tom Keatinge say na "fair assessment" say dis money fit don dey subsided for Hamas military wing. "Na money [Hamas] fit use on oda issues, like building tunnels, like arming dia military," e tok.

E dey impossible to know how much donor cash - if any - Hamas may keep for military purposes.

Di group deny say dem divert any aid money. E tell Panorama say dia military wing get dia own sources of income.

Israel Prime Minister dey very clear about dia opposition of di creation of a Palestinian state, and how dat strategic aim dey linked to im position on Hamas funding.

For 2019, Oga Netanyahu tell colleagues for im ruling Likud party: "Anyone wey wan prevent di establishment of a Palestinian state get to support to bolster Hamas and transfer money to Hamas… Dis na part of our strategy - to isolate di Palestinians for Gaza from di Palestinians for West Bank."

To keep Hamas strong enough to be an effective rival to Fatah – na West Bank rival - go prevent di possibility of a "unified Palestinian leadership wey you go get to negotiate some kind of final settlement", na wetin Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs for Middle East Institute think tank for Washington DC tok.

Recently, Oga Netanyahu deny say im bin wan build up Hamas and add say im bin only allow Qatari money into Gaza to prevent humanitarian crisis.

Oga Netanyahu don vow to destroy Hamas. Dem no go get "any element" for Gaza wey go finance terrorism, e tok.

But, by destroying so much of Gaza and killing so many Palestinian, Israel fit don achieve di opposite effect.

"Iran go probably kotinu to arm and financially support Hamas," Oga Elgindy tok. "But more than dat, as long as say reason dey for a group like Hamas to try to acquire those weapons, and those resources, and those capabilities, dem go do am.

"Because say di justification for am, di reasons for am, still dey in place."