Israeli police reported Wednesday that during a search in the occupied West Bank the previous day, security personnel had confiscated around 1.5 million shekels ($447,000) worth of "terror funds." The Red Crescent reports that scores of Palestinians were injured Tuesday as Israeli troops attacked a currency shop in Ramallah. While Israel frequently conducts raids throughout the West Bank, where hostilities have persisted throughout the Gaza conflict, it seldom enters downtown Ramallah, the location of the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli border police and the military "raided a money exchange business in the heart of Ramallah that was used to transfer funds to the Hamas terror organization," according to a police spokesman's statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, "large amounts of cash in local and foreign currencies, totaling about 1,528,832 shekels, including US dollars, Jordanian dinars, euros, and other foreign currencies, were seized by forces."
It also stated, "Along with the seized evidence, nine wanted suspects accused of involvement in terror activity were arrested and taken for investigation."
Israeli attacks on Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, especially in the northern section of the region, have increased since the beginning of the Gaza war, which was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.
Currency exchange offices in the West Bank, which Israel has controlled since 1967, have been the subject of similar Israeli operations earlier this year and in December 2023.
Since the start of the Gaza war, Israeli soldiers or settlers in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 972 Palestinians, including civilians and terrorists, according to an AFP count based on data from the Palestinian Authority.
According to Israeli data, assaults or military operations in the region have resulted in the deaths of at least 36 Israelis throughout that time, including members of the security forces and the civilian population.