Sabotage, confiscation, and freezing of accounts: The occupation targets Jerusalemite prisoners released in the exchange deal
Israeli occupation forces conducted widespread raids and incursions across Jerusalem on Wednesday, targeting the homes of released prisoners and their families. The operations involved searching and vandalizing residences, confiscating cash, vehicles, and gold jewelry, restricting bank accounts, and summoning some released prisoners for interrogation.
Based on available information, the campaign was coordinated with the 'National Bureau for Combating the Financing of Terrorism' within the Israeli Ministry of Defense and was founded on administrative confiscation orders issued by Israeli security agencies.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem reports that the campaign focused on several released prisoners, who were freed in the Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange deal roughly two years ago, and also targeted the homes of their families.
The center stated that occupation forces raided the homes of released prisoners and their families in Silwan and Beit Hanina in Jerusalem. They conducted thorough searches, intentionally damaging homes and belongings. Reports indicate that during these searches, the forces vandalized walls and furniture and destroyed property, while confiscations occurred at the homes of the released prisoners or their families.
The Israeli police announced that their forces raided the homes of recently released prisoners Abdul Rahman Abbad and Ahed Natsheh. Additionally, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the forces also searched the homes of Mohammed Fahmi Farroukh and Nader Farroukh.
The raids also targeted the homes of several other recently released prisoners, whose names they preferred not to disclose.
The Israeli forces also issued summonses for interrogation to the targeted released prisoners.
The center noted that some families were compelled to sign documents claiming that the searches caused no "damage," despite the visible destruction and damage to the homes resulting from the raids and searches.
The confiscation orders given to the families show that Israeli authorities relied on powers from the 2016 "Counter-Terrorism Law." They argued that the prisoners' funds from the Palestinian Authority were payments and rewards for "terrorist acts." The orders also directed the transfer and conversion of seized funds and property to the "Property Confiscation Unit of the Israeli Ministry of Justice."
Since 2020, Israeli occupation authorities have periodically raided and confiscated funds and property of Jerusalemite prisoners and released prisoners. They have also frozen or seized their bank accounts. These measures are justified by claims that the prisoners receive money from the Palestinian Authority, which the occupation describes as "money paid as payment and reward for carrying out terrorist acts."
The occupation police stated that they confiscated a total of 96,000 shekels in different currencies, along with gold jewelry and five vehicles belonging to released prisoners and their families.
The occupation authorities argued that the seized funds and property are linked to what they term the 'terrorist funds' campaign, claiming that the prisoners and their families are supported financially by the Palestinian Authority.
The measures also involved implementing financial restrictions and informing several families of direct freezes on their bank accounts.
This campaign occurs amid ongoing Israeli measures against released prisoners and their families in Jerusalem. These include raiding homes, confiscating money and property, and imposing financial restrictions, all based on administrative orders and Israeli laws used by occupation authorities to target what they label as "terrorism financing."
