Israeli occupation forces steal money and property from Gaza residents

Gaza (Quds News Network) – Crimes and violations by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza have extended beyond destruction and killing, with reports emerging of widespread looting of money, gold, and property belonging to Gazans, amounting to tens of millions of dollars.

This looting is considered a violation of international law, falling under the category of financially punishable crimes.

As the ground invasion of Gaza continued since October 27, 2023, the Israeli army acknowledged seizing over 220 million shekels (60 million dollars) from Gaza, citing the pretext of “fighting terrorism.” Additionally, around 200 million shekels (54.3 million dollars) were confiscated from the Bank of Palestine in Gaza City.

At the onset of the ground incursion, many reserve soldiers documented videos while looting possessions and assets from Palestinian homes in the northern part of the sector. However, the Israeli army quickly banned soldiers from sharing such videos, which depicted systematic looting during the raids on Gazan homes.

The videos, shared by Israeli soldiers on social media before the ban, revealed various methods of looting, including entering homes, instructing residents to leave, and then plundering them, as seen in Beit Lahia. Soldiers continued to loot possessions and money from displaced Gazans moving from the north to the south at checkpoints along Salah al-Din Street.

While the Israeli media has largely remained silent on this phenomenon, these videos exposed systematic looting of Gazans’ money and property. The looting included significant amounts of money, gold artifacts, cell phones, and laptops.

In a confirmation of the organized looting, the Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed that an Israeli military unit seized 200 million shekels (54.3 million dollars) after raiding the Bank of Palestine branch in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.

According to officers in the Israeli army, the seizure occurred during a military operation in the al-Rimal neighborhood, where soldiers faced gunfire from a sniper in the vicinity of the bank. The Israeli force reached the bank, invaded it, and loaded the money onto military vehicles. The funds have not yet been transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

In January, the Israeli army admitted to confiscating 15 million shekels from Palestinian homes in the sector during raids. The funds were handed over to the Ministry of Defense’s financial department and will be deposited into the state treasury.

Furthermore, in late December 2023, an Israeli army unit seized millions of shekels during operations in areas affiliated with Hamas and in the homes of Palestinians wanted by Israeli security agencies. The looting was conducted by the “Loot Transportation Unit” within the Technology and Logistics Division of the Israeli army, allegedly capturing funds in Hamas strongholds and areas of activity, as well as homes of those wanted by Israeli security.