96,000 shekels, gold, and 5 vehicles: raid on homes of terrorists released in hostage deals

Ministry of Defense and police forces raided the homes of terrorists and their family members in East Jerusalem overnight (Wednesday), who were released as part of hostage deals and continued to receive payments from the Palestinian Authority. During the operation, five vehicles, approximately 96,000 shekels in cash, and gold jewelry were seized, with a cumulative value of hundreds of thousands of shekels.

The raid was carried out by personnel from the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing at the Ministry of Defense, police officers from the Jerusalem District Central Unit, and Border Police fighters, based on seizure orders signed by Minister of Defense Israel Katz.

Among the homes where the activity took place was the home of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Abad, who was involved in 2002 in an attempt to carry out a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. The forces also raided the home of Ahed Faiz Ali al-Natsha, a Hamas operative who was involved in 2001 in planning the explosion of a car bomb in an apartment building parking lot in Pisgat Ze'ev and in planning the attack at the Clal Center in Jerusalem, in which two police officers and ten civilians were wounded.

The orders were issued against security prisoners, residents and citizens of Israel who were released in the hostage deals, following the monetary payments and rewards they continue to receive from the Palestinian Authority for the terrorist acts they committed.

The sanctions were imposed upon the recommendation of the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing and in cooperation with the Shin Bet and the police, as part of the security establishment's activity against the funding sources of terrorist organizations and the payment mechanisms for terrorists and their family members.