Hamas Approves $869 Million Budget for Operations in Gaza
The Hamas movement approved a budget of $869 million for government operations in the Gaza Strip, the organization said today in an e-mailed statement.
The spending plan includes $174 million from what was described in the statement as “public revenue.” In the past, Hamas has received the bulk of its funding from Iran and Arab countries. It also collects customs fees from gasoline, cars, cigarettes and other products smuggled into Gaza from Egypt.
Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union, broke with the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and has ruled Gaza since. It’s in talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to reunite and form a joint government for both Gaza and the West Bank.
To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Ferziger in Tel Aviv at jferziger@bloomberg.net; Saud Abu Ramadan in Gaza City at sramadan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Louis Meixler at lmeixler@bloomberg.net
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