Armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas, last month robbed the Bank of Palestine of some $70 million, French daily Le Monde reported Saturday.
The funds were taken from the vaults of several branches of the bank in Gaza © Mena Today
Armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas, last month robbed the Bank of Palestine of some $70 million, French daily Le Monde reported Saturday.
The funds were taken from the vaults of several branches of the bank, it said, citing a Bank of Palestine document sent to "certain international partners" detailing the robberies.
On April 16, staff discovered a hole in the ceiling of the safe deposit room at one of the bank's Gaza branches and found that some $3 million worth of Israeli shekels destined for cash dispensers were missing, Le Monde said.
The next day, armed groups equipped with explosives returned to the site, blew up a cement protection chamber, and took more than $30 million in various currencies from three safes.
Two days later, the biggest Gaza branch was attacked by commandos who said they answered to "Gaza's highest authorities," which the paper said is understood to mean Hamas. They took more than $36 million worth of shekels.
The Bank of Palestine, founded in 1960, is Gaza's leading financial institution.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza on Tuesday and agreed to remain in close coordination in the coming hours, the White House said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday laid out plans for the post-war management of Gaza, saying the outgoing Biden administration would hand over the roadmap to President-elect Donald Trump's team to pick up if a ceasefire deal is reached.
Negotiators were meeting in Qatar on Tuesday hoping to finalise details of a plan to end the war in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden indicated a ceasefire and hostage release deal was imminent.
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