Palestinian armed groups stole 66 million euros from Bank of Palestine branches in Gaza

Palestinian armed groups, one of which claims to be part of the terrorist group Hamas, stole a total of 66 million euros from the safes of several bank branches in Gaza last month, Le Monde reported on Saturday, according to Agerpres.

The French daily had access to a document sent by the Bank of Palestine to “some international partners” that describes spectacular thefts, including one that took place at its main agency in Gaza City.

Asked by AFP, the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), the independent body that oversees the financial system in the Palestinian Territories, plans to issue a statement later on Saturday.

According to the document obtained by Le Monde, on April 16, the employees “noticed that a hole had been made in the ceiling of the safe room”, the newspaper explains, specifying that “the criminals got hold of ATM cash registers, which contained the equivalent of 2.8 million Euros in Israeli Shekels”.

“The next morning, on April 17, ‘armed groups’ equipped with explosives went into the building again” to blow up the cement shell poured the day before to protect the money and opened three safes, “taking the equivalent of 29 million euros in various currencies,” writes Le Monde.

On April 18, a second branch, the largest in the city center, was attacked by a “commando” of men who claimed to be “from the highest authorities in Gaza,” wording referring to Hamas, as emphasizes the French newspaper, and they left “with the equivalent of 33.6 million euros in Israeli shekels”.

At the same time, the Israeli army confiscated “an important amount of money belonging to the institution”, according to Le Monde information.

Le Monde also cites the Israeli media which “reported in February that the amount seized amounted to several tens of millions of dollars and that the operation was aimed at preventing Hamas from getting hold of this amount”.

Le Monde also describes the fact that, because of the war, it is increasingly difficult for the Bank of Palestine to keep cash safe and likewise for the residents of Gaza to obtain cash.

“Only two ATMs still work, in Rafah and Deir Al-Balah (south), when they have electricity,” the newspaper points out.

Moreover, “according to the testimonies of some residents of Gaza, corroborated with surveillance camera recordings, masked armed men threaten customers in front of ATMs, demanding a percentage of their withdrawals”, explains Le Monde.