Israeli occupation forces raid Nablus, ransack and close four charities

Date: 07 / 07 / 2008 Time: 10:24
Nablus – Ma'an –

Israeli occupation forces closed four Hamas-affiliated charities in Nablus in the northern West Bank on Monday, after ransacking the offices and confiscating computers and cash.

The closure has been imposed for three years.

Israeli authorities claimed the charities were part of Hamas' infrastructure in Nablus, and that was the reason they were shut down.

Palestinian security sources said The Orphan's Charity, The Charitable Solidarity Club, Islamic School in Rafedia and the Al-Tadamun Dispensary in the Rawda mosque were closed.

The Israeli forces also stormed the directorate of the Ministry of Endowment offices in the city.

Director of the Al-Tadamun dispensary in Nablus, Dr Hafizh Al-Sadr told Ma'an, "Israeli soldiers destroyed all the contents of the dispensary, including its safe." He affirmed that 10,000 NIS (3,000 US dollars) and 1,500 Jordanian Dinars (2,000 US dollars) were stolen from the clinic's safe.

Al-Sadr said the clinic provides medical services to local residents. He also refuted Israeli accusations that the clinic was part of any Hamas' infrastructure, explaining that it was established in 1977 which was ten years before the Hamas movement was founded.

Israel's legal authorities have recently approved such raids on Hamas-affiliated Islamic charities in the West Bank, in a bid to curb Hamas' rising popularity. Israeli Forces have been carrying out similar raids in the Hebron, Qalqilyah and Ramallah areas since the beginning of the year, but the legal sanction means the campaign will now be expanded to other parts of the West Bank.

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