U.S. freezes accounts of three Gaza businessmen

Accused of transferring funds to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the three lost access to their accounts

By OMRI RON
Ancient Hellenistic coins caught being smuggled from Gaza into Israel, October 8 2019 (photo credit: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
Ancient Hellenistic coins caught being smuggled from Gaza into Israel, October 8 2019
(photo credit: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
The US treasury has frozen the banks accounts and several other assets of three businessmen from the Gaza Strip, accusing them of transferring funds to Iran and Hamas, as well as other Palestinian factions located in the West Bank, Ynet reports
The actions were taken in cooperation between Israel and the U.S., aimed to hit the pockets of organizations such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
In recent years, the three businessmen, Kamal Awad, Fawz Nasser and Muhammad Al-Ayy, transferred amounts reaching millions.
The three laundered money when leaving Gaza through Cario, sometimes done in person, others were done as parts of hidden money transfers.
According to the IDF, the hardest hit of the three is Ayy, who sustained damages as much as $10 million USD, the IDF said.
This is not the first time Israel has dealt with people who have provided funds to Hamas or other organizations. In May, Hamad Hadri, who was a Liaison between the various terrorist factions in Gaza and Iran was killed.
One IDF officer mentioned that it is a signal to all those who may want to do business with these people in the future, and mentions how these three are just the start of such operations.
The Trump Administration, which use to be the main donor to the PA, has withdrawn its funding. It has urged a new approach to financial support for the Palestinians. Among its issues is the PA monthly payments to Palestinian terrorists and their family members. 
The PA considers these terrorists to be martyrs. Earlier on Thursday, PA President Mahmoud Abbas defended those payments during his address to the General Assembly stating, “Even if I have one penny left I will give this penny to the families of the martyrs."
Greenblatt asked, “Is that where donor countries want their limited tax dollars to go? Many of the recipients of these salaries murdered, or attempted to murder, Israelis in terrorist attacks (or the money is given to the murderers’ families if the murderer has died).”