Hamas seizes $270,000 in frozen funds from bank

P F Tinmore

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Dec 6, 2009
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Hamas seized $270,000 from a Gaza bank on Monday that had been frozen by the Palestinian government in the West Bank, sparking new feuding between the Gaza militants and their Western-backed rivals.

The funds were intended for an association called Friends of the Sick, which has run a medical center in Gaza for over a decade.

The Palestinian Authority, which used to fund the group, froze the money after the organization elected a Hamas-dominated governing board in July 2009, the group said.

"This was based on entirely political considerations that have no relationship to the association's charitable work," the group said in a written statement.

Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab Ghussein confirmed money was taken and said a court ruled the block on the funds was illegal.

Friends of the Sick board member Omar Farwana said Monday's seizure was a legal reclaiming of funds from international donors.

He confirmed the group received the money taken from the bank and said he expected more seizures.

"There are two other banks in Gaza that have our money, and during the coming days we'll get it back," he said.

Hamas seizes $270,000 in frozen funds from bank - Yahoo! News
 

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