Hamas Leaders’ Wealth vs. Gaza’s Poverty

Hamas leaders. Credit: Andre Haermeyer’s FB page.

The condition in Gaza has been dire for a long time. Even before the latest fighting started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, half of the population in Gaza depended on food from the UN to survive.

The situation in Gaza has gotten even worse since the Israel-Gaza war started. Israeli forces are targeting Hamas, and bombings take place every day. But while most of the 2.3 million Palestinians crowded into the tiny patch of land in the Gaza Strip, a quarter the size of London, there are a handful of millionaires and even billionaires living large.

According to the Israeli embassy in the US, three top Hamas leaders – Mousa Abu Marzouk, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh – are each worth over $3 billion. They say Hamas rakes in $1 billion a year, making them the world’s second richest terror group after ISIS.

Millionaires Made from Smuggling Tunnels

You can’t see it on the surface, but underneath Gaza City cash is flowing. Gaza is one of the poorest places in the world, but its leaders enjoy a luxurious life. Back in 2012 there were reports of 600 millionaires in Gaza, thanks to smuggling tunnels into Egypt. The tunnels created a whole new class of rich Hamas leaders, according to the newspaper Al Monitor.

Hamas top leaders keep a low profile since Israel has tried to take most of them out. For years nobody understood how rich they were, but now we know how those terrorists, who were born and raised in refugee camps got to be secret billionaires.

Secret Assets and Lavish Lifestyles

Just hours after Hamas invaded Israel, the video shows Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (61) celebrating in his plush Doha office while he and other Hamas leaders cheer before flopping on the floor praising Allah.

Ismail Haniyeh. Credit: “הצינור” FB page.

Haniyeh adopted a luxurious lifestyle – he has lived in Qatar since 2019 and is worth at least $5 million. In 2010 he paid $4 million cash for some beachfront land in Gaza, but has registered it in his son-in-law’s name, says the Egyptian magazine Rose al-Yusuf. He reportedly purchased homes for his 13 children, one of them is known in Gaza as the “Father of Real Estate.”

Haniyeh’s children live lavishly both in and out of Gaza thanks to their Turkish passports. His son travels back and forth investing in properties in Turkey and other locations.

Hamas’ Global Business Empire

Back in 2021, the Jerusalem Post said Hamas controlled approximately 40 companies in Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and more based on intel. Most are real estate and construction worth around $500 million. Hamas does business in Turkey due to their weak rules and due to the fact, they can hide money easily via money laundering and tax cheating, according to the Double Cheque website.

Hamas Leaders Live Larger than Life Abroad

Toward the end of last year, additional Hamas leaders moved from Gaza into fancy hotels in Beirut, Doha and Istanbul where they live like kings, nothing like the suffering people back in Gaza they claim to care about.

Yahya Sinwar (60), who runs Hamas in Gaza, has a net worth of $1-3 million, says the BBC. Born in a refugee camp under Egyptian control, he started Hamas’ security squad. He was in Israeli prison serving four life sentences in 1988, but was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, and now he’s back in charge in Gaza.

Sinwar, who the Palestinians call “The Brain” and Israelis “The Cat with Nine Lives” planned the recent attack with Haniyeh.

Another Hamas billionaire is Mohammed Deif.He is the head of Hamas’s military wing. Israel has tried to take him out seven times, but he keeps cheating death. His net worth is estimated to be $5 million.

One of the wealthiest men among Hamas leaders is Khaled Mashal. Mashal, 67, was born in the West Bank when it was under Jordanian control.

He became one of Hamas’s biggest leaders and is currently living in Qatar. Mashal invested in banks and real estate around the Gulf, which made him a very wealthy man.

Hamas is lounging in luxury while the people of Gaza suffer.