Israel stopped Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh at the Gaza border refusing to let him pass for eight hours.
Acting on an intelligence tip, Israeli officials closed the border in the belief that Mr. Haniyeh was carrying funds that could end up in the hands of the military wing of Hamas. Palestinian and Western sources said the prime minister was forced to leave $35 million in cash in suitcases on the Egyptian side of the border before being allowed back in.
With international banks honoring an embargo on money transfers to the Palestinian government, Hamas officials have regularly carried large amounts of cash donated by friendly Middle East governments into Gaza to keep the government afloat.
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