Palestinian Government to Reward Hamas Terrorists with Nearly $3 Million, Watchdog Says
- October 16, 2023
Adam Kredo, Free Beacon
The Palestinian government is expected to dole out nearly $3 million this month to the families of Hamas terrorists responsible for an unprecedented attack on Israel that killed nearly 1,500 civilians and wounded many more, according to a watchdog group.
The Palestinian Authority, as part of its “pay-to-slay” program, will allocate “$2,807,021 this month to reward Hamas terrorists for Saturday’s massacre,” according to Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli nonprofit that monitors the Palestinian government’s expenditures.
The Biden administration privately raised concerns in 2021 that its decision to resume Palestinian aid would bolster Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region, the Washington Free Beacon first reported.
“We assess there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza,” the State Department warned in internal correspondence circulated in March 2021. “There is less but still some risk U.S. assistance would benefit other designated groups.”
The administration moved ahead with its aid plan anyway, allocating millions to the Palestinian government as it continued to pay terrorists and their families.