Hamas still pays salary and award supporters

After almost two years of war, Hamas’s military capacity is severely weakened and its political leadership is under rapid pressure.

Nevertheless, Hamas has managed to continue using a secret cash-based payment system to pay the salary of 30,000 civil servants during the war, which is a total amount of $ 7M (£ 5.3m).

The BBC has spoken to three civil servants who have confirmed that they have received around $ 300 within the previous week.

It is believed that they are among the thousands of employees who have continued to receive more than 20% of their prior salary every 10 weeks.

Between inflation, token salary – a part of the entire amount – is creating increasing resentment among the loyal people of the party.

Severe food deficiency – which aid agencies blame Israel’s sanctions – and the increasing cases of acute malnutrition continue in Gaza, where one kilogram of flour costs $ 80 in recent weeks – an all -time high.

Gaza has no working banking system, even getting salary is complex and sometimes, dangerous. Israel regularly identifies and targets Hamas’s pay distributors, demanding the group’s governance ability.

Employees from police officers to tax officials, often receive an encrypted message on their own phone or their spouse, to go to a specific place at a specific time to “meet a friend for tea”.

At the meeting point, the employee is approached by a man – or sometimes a woman – who handles a seal envelope with a seal envelope before disappearing without further conversation.

An employee of Hamas’s religious affairs, who does not want to give his name for safety reasons, described the dangers involved in collecting their wages.

“Every time I go to take my salary, I say goodbye to my wife and children. I know I can’t return,” he said. “On several occasions, the Israeli strike hit the salary distribution points. I survived that targeted a busy market in Gaza city.”

Ala, whose name we have changed to protect their identity, is a school student employed by the Hamas-Interested Government and the only provider for a family of six.

He said, “I found 1,000 shekels (about $ 300) in banknotes – no merchant would accept them. Only 200 Shekels were useable – rest, I honestly don’t know what to do,” he told the BBC.

“After two and a half months of hunger, they pay us in cash.

“I am often forced to help in the hope of getting some dough to feed my children to help in distribution points. Sometimes I succeed in bringing a little home, but most of the time I fail.”

In March, the Israeli army said that they had killed Ismail Burhum, the head of Hamas’s finance in a strike at Nasir Hospital in Khan Younis. He accused him of giving money to Hamas’s military wing.

It is not clear how Hamas has succeeded in continuing salary payment in view of the destruction of most of his administrative and financial infrastructure.

A senior Hamas employee, who served in high positions and is familiar with Hamas’s financial operation, told the BBC that the group had stock up to 700 meters of cash and the group’s deadly 7 October 2023 in southern Israel, stock of hundreds of millions of shekels in underground tunnels before the 7 October 2023 attack, which was destructive in the Israeli military operations.

These were allegedly overshadowed by Hamas leader Yahya Sinavar and his brother Mohammed – both have been killed by the Israeli armies since then.

Hamas has historically rely on wealth from heavy import duties and taxes levied on Gaza’s population, as well as supporting millions of dollars from Qatar.

Kasam Brigade, the military wing of Hamas, which operates through a separate financial system, is mainly financed by Iran.

One of the world’s most influential Islamic organizations, a senior Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood official has said that about 10% of his budget was also directed to Hamas.

To generate revenue during the war, Hamas has also continued taxes on traders and sold a large amount of cigarettes, which has increased its original cost to 100 times. Before the war, a box of 20 cigarettes costs $ 5 – which is now more than $ 170.

In addition to cash payments, Hamas has distributed food parcels to its members and their families through local emergency committees, whose leadership is frequently rotated due to Israeli attacks.

This has promoted public anger, many inhabitants in Gaza have distributed assistance to their supporters on Hamas and except for a wider population.

Israel has accused Hamas of the theft aid of theft, who has entered Gaza during the ceasefire earlier this year, denying some Hamas. However, BBC sources in Gaza have said that significant amounts were taken by Hamas during this period.

Five years ago, after her husband died of cancer, a widow left a widow taking care of three children, told the BBC, “When the appetite deteriorated, my children were not only crying with pain, but also used to get food parcels and flour sacks even after seeing our neighbors associated with our humas.

“Are they not the cause of our grief? Why did they not secure food, water and medicine before starting the adventure work of October 7?”