Islamic Jihad's coffers run dry

Hazem Balousha

Jun 2, 2015

A Palestinian boy wearing an Islamic Jihad headband joins other Palestinians taking part in a protest against what they say are recent visits by Jewish activists to al-Aqsa mosque, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 7, 2014. In recent months, a campaign for the prayer ban on Jewish worshippers at the site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, to be overturned, led by settler activists, has gathered momentum, raising alarm among Palestinians and Muslims further — A Palestinian boy wearing an Islamic Jihad headband joins other Palestinians taking part in a protest against what they say are recent visits by Jewish activists to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 7, 2014 — REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip is suffering from a severe financial crisis that has resulted in a delay of several months in the payment of salaries, both to its military wing (Al-Quds Brigades) personnel and those working for its media and civic organizations, due to the stifling siege imposed on Gaza and the paucity of revenues from its main sponsor, Iran.

One of the movement’s leadership figures told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Islamic Jihad has been suffering for months from the worst financial crisis in its history, leading to the organization shutting down some of its civic and research institutions. This has also led to the reduction of the budget set aside for some media organizations, to the point that some have had to let go of a number of their employees.