Hamas-Second Wealthiest Terror Group Thanks to Global Muslim Brotherhood

According to a report by Forbes Israel, The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), is the second wealthiest terror group in the world, after only the Islamic State (aka ISIS). The report lists Hamas as working with roughly a $1 Billion dollar a year budget. That means the Palestinian terrorist organization, which controls Gaza, possess almost twice the financial resources of Iranian proxy, and acknowledged “A Team” of international terror, Hezbollah, which was listed as coming in 4th at $500 million.

While both Hamas and Hezbollah share a patron in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamas is far more diversified, receiving large scale donations from both Qatar and Turkey. Additionally, Hamas is able to tax the residents of Gaza, and extort additional funds from the smuggling of goods through its network of tunnels. Additionally, Hamas is able to tap into the global network of the Muslim Brotherhood, in order to conduct extensive fundraising abroad. The Israel Security Agency (Shabak) has reported that Hamas is funded by the Muslim Brotherhood network of charities known as the Union of the Good (UoG), run by Muslim Brotherhood chief jurist Yousef Al Qaradawi. The UoG plays a key role in funding Hamas operations in both Gaza and the West Bank through a network of international charities, to the tune of several hundred millions of dollars from 2001-2009.

Until it was shut down by federal prosecutors, the U.S. branch of the UoG was the Holy Land Foundation, an organ of the Palestinian Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood in North America, according to international M.B. documents revealed at trial. The other principal organizations of the Palestine Committee were the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), and The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Despite the successful actions that have been taken by authorities to target the Union of the Good’s financial apparatus, it remains a significant force abroad, particularly it’s Turkish wing, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, best known for  its role in the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident where armed activists attacked Israeli maritime forces in an effort to break the blockade of Gaza.

While Hamas has many advantages that enables it to secure its position as the second wealthiest terror group in the world, Hamas’ role as the jihad movement of the Muslim Brotherhood, cannot be ignored. And without targeting the larger Global Muslim Brotherhood movement, choking off that wealth is likely to prove elusive.