Israel Defense Forces raided 15 offices with ties to Hamas in the West Bank. The offices were used to distribute funds to the families of suicide bombers and militants being held in Israeli jails. Israeli forces recovered computers and records from these offices. This is one of many steps the IDF is taking to marginalize the impact that Hamas has on the Palestinian population. Shutting down these offices sends a signal to Hamas that the Israelis can not only take military action against them but also disrupt their social network as well. Tracking the flow of money is more complicated and will require additional intelligence and tools that will need to be spread across the areas where funds are collected, transmitted, and received. By closing down the West Bank charities, the Israelis have opted to focus their attention on the last portion of this chain before the funds are distributed to the families of suicide bombers and fighters.

Identifying the flow of money is more difficult than identifying the movement of Hamas members. By conducting these types of operations, Israel not only has a direct short-term impact, but it makes Hamas move funds more covertly. Traditionally, mosques, charities, and even Palestinian fundraisers throughout the world have gathered donations to support the families of suicide bombers and fighters. Israel has moved into a new cycle where the ability to disrupt or prevent the movement of money may impact the way that Hamas is seen by the Palestinians in the West Bank. We will continue to see a wide range of actions taken against Hamas in the West Bank by Israel, which until this point has not been successful in preventing the movement of money paid to the families of suicide bomber and fighters in Gaza and the West Bank. This signals the opening of another front against Hamas and one that may have a more direct and dire impact on Hamas.

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