Israel’s security forces thwarted an attempt by Malik Jamil Mubarak Khatib to assist Hamas in funding terror operations.
An Israeli Arab was arrested recently on charges of helping to fund the Hamas terror network, the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) announced on Tuesday.
Malik Jamil Mubarak Khatib, 31, a dentist from Kafr Kana in northern Israel, systematically transferred large sums of money to Hamas terrorists in Judea and Samaria, acting on orders from Gaza, the Shin Bet charged.
He was arrested on April 4 on his way to transfer funds to Hamas terrorists in Ramallah, while in possession of NIS 170,000 ($43,380).
The Shin Bet noted that Khatib was warned a few weeks prior to his arrest against such activity, which is illegal and undermines Israel’s national security.
Khatib admitted during questioning that he had been transferring funds between Gaza and Judea and Samaria on Hamas’s behalf, as instructed by a Hamas terrorist in Gaza by the name of Samir Turc, aka “Abu Farouk,” who is responsible for the funding coordination. Khatib further admitted to illegally transferring Palestinians from Gaza into Israel on a daily basis for pay.
The Shin Bet stressed that Khatib’s actions “illustrate Hamas’s relentless efforts to transfer large sums of money, which are intended to promote the terror organization’s activities in Judea and Samaria.”
Khatib was indicted on Tuesday at the Nazareth District Court, where he was charged with maintaining contacts with a foreign agent, illegal use of property for terror purposes, multiple counts of assisting the illegal entrance of Palestinians into Israel and tax evasion.
This was not the first successful Shin Bet operation in the prevention of terror funding. An Arab lawyer from Jerusalem, Rami Alami, was detained in March by Israeli security forces on charges of aiding Hamas by acting as a messenger for incarcerated terrorists and helping with the funneling of funds.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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