Arab report: Iran has reduced aid to Islamic Jihad

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Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip is suffering from a financial crisis following a dramatic reduction in Iranian aid, the Al-Masri al-Yum newspaper reported last night (Thursday). According to the publication, Iran has already reduced its support for the terrorist organization in recent years, but is now forced to cut it in half in the coming months in light of the country’s economic crisis.
A source in al-Quds Companies, the military arm of Islamic Jihad, noted that Iran has informed the organization several times that it cannot transfer the full aid budget amount, and is forced to reduce it by the end of 2021. According to the source, Iran has criticized the conduct of Islamic Jihad. Palestinian to his ranks in exchange for inflated salaries. In this context it was said that the jihad may also have recruited Gazans who were simply looking for a livelihood, without undergoing the required training or proving their loyalty. Therefore, there is an Iranian fear of infiltrating the terrorist organization, which makes it easier for Israel to harm it.

According to Palestinian sources quoted in the Egyptian daily, the Iranian leadership explained the reduction in aid mainly in the US sanctions and the corona crisis that hit the country’s economy. In addition, the Gaza Strip is in a relatively quiet state and therefore this necessitates urgent financial assistance to Islamic Jihad. In light of this, in recent times the members of the terrorist organization have not received salaries that have been cut anyway, which has provoked outrage in the ranks of Islamic Jihad.

According to the Egyptian report, the cuts led to an internal financial dispute between the commanders of the military wing of the Islamic Jihad – al-Quds companies. The crisis led to a group of 15 gunmen, belonging to one of the senior members of the organization, arriving at a mosque in Khan Yunis last October, abducting activists from the arm during their prayers. According to the report, the abduction follows an exchange of accusations regarding allocations of funds between areas of control. The Islamic Jihad leadership has failed to resolve the ongoing conflict despite Hamas’ demand to hand over those involved in the abduction.

Another senior Islamic Jihad source was quoted as saying that this was the most serious crisis in months, which led to the closure of institutions and research centers, and budget cuts. According to him, in addition, the organization has been forced to sell training areas and is content with exercises on land belonging to its people. According to sources in Gaza, this practice leads to internal conflicts.

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