Financing Terrorism

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 14 – 28, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorist operatives and destroy weapons and terrorist infrastructure within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip. Operatives who violated the ceasefire and planned terrorist attacks were eliminated, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre; Direct talks were held between Hamas representatives and representatives of the American administration for the first time since the ceasefire. The Board of Peace high commissioner, Nikolai Mladenov, said an agreement could be reached for disarming Hamas, but warned that swift understandings were required to maintain momentum; Hamas rejected statements by the IDF and the American vice president regarding an increase in aid to the Strip, and alleged that Israel still restricted the entry of food, medicine and fuel; A slate affiliated with Fatah won the local elections in Deir al-Balah, the first time since 2006. Hamas police and hundreds of Hamas government officials were involved in organizing and securing the voting; Clashes took place between Hamas security forces and opposing militias; There were two stabbing attacks in Judea and Samaria; no casualties were reported. Israeli security forces located a cache of explosive devices in a school in the Hebron area; Settler terrorism continued in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – March 2026

During March 2026, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed in the wake of the American-Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. The Houthis also renewed their attacks on Israel. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continued, while Hamas increased its governance in the areas under its control; Three terrorist attacks were carried out, killing one Israeli civilian, Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism measures in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 24-30, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations to locate terrorists and destroy weapons, infrastructure and assets within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip and eliminated terrorist operatives who violated the ceasefire and planned attacks; The Board of Peace's high commissioner, Nikolay Mladenov, said that the first stage of the United States' 20-point plan had largely been completed, adding that the disarmament of Hamas was the only way to move forward toward reconstruction and an Israeli military withdrawal. Hamas and other armed terrorist organizations criticized the Board of Peace's disarmament plan; The Hamas security forces continued attacking "collaborators" and members of Israeli-supported militias; Hamas continued to promote propaganda of humanitarian distress despite the entry of enormous quantities of goods into the Strip; Settler terrorism continued in Judea and Samaria, and reportedly one person was killed by settler gunfire near an illegal outpost; The representative of the Palestinian Authority in France submitted her credentials to President Macron as ambassador of the "State of Palestine." 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (March 16-23, 2026)

IDF forces in Lebanon continued from the air and eliminated terrorist commanders and operatives, including the commander of the Radwan special forces, and operatives linked to Iran and to Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon. IDF ground forces in south Lebanon continued locating and destroying weapons and terrorist infrastructure and assets attacking Hezbollah targets; Hezbollah issued more than 280 claims of responsibility for attacks on civilian, military and security targets in Israel and on IDF forces in south Lebanon using rockets, missiles and UAVs. The IDF reported that Hezbollah launched a ballistic missile which fell in the northern Gaza Strip, but no claim of responsibility was made. Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem said he was confident the organization would stop the "aggression," force Israel to withdraw and release the Lebanese prisoners, and return the displaced persons to their homes. Hezbollah official admitted they had exercised restraint in the face of Israeli strikes for 15 months in order to rebuild Hezbollah's military capabilities; Hezbollah sharpened its rhetoric toward the Lebanese government following the ban on the organization's military activity, with implicit threats to take action against it after the war; Hezbollah terrorist cells were exposed in the UAE and Kuwait; the organization denied involvement; Lebanese president Joseph Aoun continued efforts to advance his initiative for direct talks with Israel, however, Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, opposed appointing a Shi'ite representative to the delegation before a ceasefire and demanded the talks be conducted under the supervision mechanism for implementing the ceasefire agreement; Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam accused Hezbollah of dragging the country back into war to assist Iran and avenge the killing of Khamenei. He said he did not want a confrontation with Hezbollah, but was not prepared to submit to extortion; The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that more than 1,000 people had been killed since the beginning of the fighting.
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Hamas Exploits the War in Iran to Tighten Its Civilian and Security Control of the Gaza Strip

The war in Iran and disputes regarding the activity of the new committee for managing the Gaza Strip are delaying the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, according to which Hamas is supposed to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip and disarm; Hamas is exploiting the situation to tighten its security control using violence and force against those who are critical, labeled "collaborators" or members of militias receiving Israeli support. Hamas' growing confidence is reflected in the public presence of armed operatives from the military wing and the security forces; Hamas is also continuing its efforts to rebuild its military capabilities by smuggling arms from Egypt and independently developing weapons which pose a threat to IDF forces in the Gaza Strip and to the State of Israel; Hamas is also strengthening civilian governance in the areas under its control through a wide deployment of police forces, some of whom are openly armed, and the ongoing activity of government ministries. That is manifested by tight supervision over merchants in the markets and the distribution of financial aid to Gazan civilians; In ITIC assessment, as long as Israel and the United States focus their attention on the wars in Iran and Lebanon against Hezbollah, Hamas will continue to entrench its dominance in the Gaza Strip regardless of Israeli attacks, pressure to relinquish control and disarm, and criticism from Gazans over the high cost of living and the collapse of services. Hamas will continue to tightensecurity and military governance, including accelerating its rearming and the recruitm ent and training of operatives. It will continue to strengthen civilian governance, combining violence and intimidation with the battle for hearts and minds to ensure it remains a power in Gaza even if the second phase of the ceasefire agreement is implemented and Hamas (ostensibly) transfers control to the Palestinian technocratic committee.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 10-17, 2026)

Hamas condemned the "American-Zionist aggression" against Iran and noted Iran's "right" to respond, but not against its neighbors. Hamas also reportedly sent a secret letter to Iran's leader for all fronts to be activated against Israel; IDF forces continued operations within the Yellow Line area in the Gaza Strip and eliminated Hamas terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre; Hamas is tightening its "security" governance in the areas under its control in Gaza with public appearances of armed police and operatives from the military wing; The Turkish IHH continues to increase its activity in the Gaza Strip; A Hamas delegation visited Cairo and held talks with Egyptian officials and with representatives of the Board of Peace regarding implementation of the ceasefire agreement; The United States imposed sanctions on four associations that helped fund Hamas' military wing under the guise of humanitarian activity. A suspect involved in a Hamas plot to attack Israeli and/or Jewish targets in Europe was arrested in Cyprus; Shots were fired at IDF forces in Samaria; there were no casualties. An Israeli civilian was stabbed and seriously wounded in Ramat Gan, suspected as a terrorist attack, and an Arab-Israeli was detained; The chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, spoke to the Pope. Abbas said that once the war in Iran ended, an international peace conference should be convened to end the "Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and Arab territories in Lebanon and Syria."
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