In the past years, well-known news agencies of the world spread information about the allocation of new houses built in Gaza with financing from Iran. In a new building built by the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs in the south of Gaza, 26 apartments were allocated to former Palestinian prisoners who had been held in Israeli prisons. According to Hamas, the housing program is the first program funded by Iran. The Palestinian government said that a second building would be built in northern Gaza and that the project was being implemented to "please" the prisoners. According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, about 6,500 Palestinians are currently in Israeli prisons for various crimes, including terrorism. reference
Faktyoxla Lab., following this fact, has investigated the extent of Iran's support for Palestine.
According to the analysis by international organizations, 2.1 million of Palestine’s 5.3 million population need humanitarian assistance. At the same time, 80% of the Gaza population depends on foreign aid.
According to statistics,
♦ Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development allocated more than $40 billion of funding from 1994 through 2020.
♦ Between 1994 and 2020, Germany, France, Norway, the UK and Japan provided more than 20% of all foreign aid to Palestine.
♦ Germany and other European countries have invested nearly 80 million euros in water projects in Gaza in 2021.
♦ UN organizations have spent about $4.5 billion in Gaza alone, including $600 million in 2020.
♦ UNRWA, which also offers food aid and health services, operates schools in Gaza serving approximately 280,000 students.
♦ The World Bank has allocated a $30 million Development Policy Grant for the Palestinian Territories to support transparency and green economy reforms in 2022.
♦ Arab League. Between 1994 and 2020, five Arab countries gave most of the $8.5 billion in Arab funding to the Palestinians. During this period, Saudi Arabia provided $4 billion, UAE $2.1 billion, Algeria $908 million, Qatar $766 million, and Kuwait $758 million.
♦ Since 2012, Qatar has provided $1.3 billion in aid to Gaza for infrastructure, healthcare, and agriculture. (source)
From the statistics, it appears that Arab countries are providing financial aid to Palestine, not Iran. For several years, the League of Arab States has allocated financial assistance packages for the solution of social problems in Palestine, the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons. reference
According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Iran has provided $20,000 in social support for the refugee population over the past 10 years. For comparison, during the same period, the United States paid $3 billion to UNRWA, the European Union states $2 billion, and Saudi Arabia $600 million. reference
Where does Iran spend money?
Our research showed that the main work of the Iranian regime, which has been on the agenda for many years by reciting Palestine, is to support terrorist groups operating in different countries and provide weapons, financial aid, and training.
The main initiator and chief executive of these projects is the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (SEPAH). It is no secret that this institution is behind most of the terrorist acts committed in various countries. The aim of Sepah "Quds Forces" is to carry out destructive plans against Israel and other countries that Iran considers enemies by supporting "Hezbollah" in Lebanon, "Hamas", "Islamic Jihad" in Palestine, "Al-Ashtar" in Bahrain, "Kataib Hezbollah" in Iraq, "Ansarullah" (Houthi) in Yemen and other terrorist groups.
The participation of SEPAH in these bloody crimes has been confirmed by international organizations and intelligence data from various countries. The Country Reports on Terrorism compiled by the US State Department in 2019 had a chronicle of terrorist incidents in which Iran was a direct participant. reference
The report published by the UN expert group in 2018 shows that the Iranian authorities, in addition to supporting terrorist organizations operating in different countries, have also created safe havens for terrorists in their territory. Al-Qaeda was allowed to stay in Iran, their financial operations were allowed, and Tehran created conditions for their members to be transported to South Asia and Syria. source
Arab sources note that the money allocated by Iran to Hamas and Islamic Jihad is one-tenth of what it gives to Hezbollah. Every year, Iran transfers $100 million to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip: $70 million for Hamas and $30 million for Islamic Jihad. The vast majority of that money is spent on further strengthening the military wings of both factions instead of helping the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. Iran gives approximately $1 billion a year to Hezbollah. In recent years, due to sanctions, this aid has been reduced to $700-800 million, but the budget for military plans in Gaza has remained unchanged. reference
The US State Department's "Outlaw Regime: A Chronicle of Iran's Destructive Activities" report shows that the Iranian regime spends at least $16 billion dollars to carry out terrorist acts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. reference
Mike Pompeo, who was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Trump Administration, once noted on his Twitter page: "While the Iranian people struggle, Iran’s outlaw regime has wasted over $16 billion since 2012 propping up Assad and supporting its other partners and proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen."
The distribution of spending is as follows:
- $700 million to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
- $4.7 billion to the Assad regime in Syria.
- $100 million to Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen.
- $100 million to Shia guards in Iraq. source
The Tehran dictatorship presents itself as a religious guardian of the Islamic world, and as a "savior" reciting the name of Palestine. However, it does not care about the plight of the Palestinian people and donates only a little money to them. Meanwhile, Iran allocates $100 million in aid to Hamas and Islamic Jihad every year to attack important Israeli facilities and kill the civilian population. Tens of thousands of poor Palestinian refugees are supported by the Arab League, the United States and the European Union, and Israel.
Instead, the Iranian dictatorship directs large sums of money to Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Armenia. Since the Syrian economy is collapsing, a large part of the socioeconomic needs of this country is provided by Iran. source
Besides, in 2022, the SEPAH re-equipped the armed forces of the Assad regime in the Al-Hasaka province of Syria with weapons and military equipment, including about 50 drones. In the southeastern part of the Qamishli Airport, the 54th regiment (Tartab regiment) is directly connected to the Iranian armed forces, and the largest military base of the IRGC is located here. Also, the Deir ez-Zor and Ad-Dimas town of Damascus, which is controlled by Hezbollah, are linked to the Iranian military. Iran also supplies the armed groups Zeinabiyun and Fatimiyun there. reference
Taking advantage of the earthquake that shook Syria on February 6, 2023, Iran delivered weapons and military equipment to the region as aid cargo. According to Reuters, Iran has sent deadly weapons and military equipment hidden in some planes to Syria while helping and rescuing earthquake victims. The goal was to support Bashar al-Assad in Syria and strengthen Iran's defense against Israel. According to Western intelligence sources, the Iranian supplies include state-of-the-art communications equipment, radar batteries and replacement components needed for a planned upgrade to an air defense system supplied by Iran during Syria's civil war.
According to Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, the fo former head of the Research Division at the Israel Defense Forces’ Intelligence Corps, Israeli intelligence determined which truck in the "humanitarian aid" convoy was to receive military goods. Most of the "aid" was transported from Aleppo airport. Some of those goods were transferred to the Quds branch of the IRGC. This is also confirmed by the participation of the 190th Transport Unit of the Quds Force in ground transportation, and the presence of Brigadier General Ismail Ghani in the earthquake zone in Syria. reference
Also, Ansarullah has been receiving Iran's help for almost 20 years. This group, which has been receiving military and financial aid from Iran since 2004, is engaged in rioting along the lines of Hezbollah. Even many countries have repeatedly exposed Iran's plans to turn the Houthis into Hezbollah. A high-ranking Iranian official told Reuters several years ago that SEPAH commander Qasem Soleimani was the main organizer of support for the Houthis in Yemen. source
Iran is not less concerned about Armenia, which is its "red line". According to the official information of the Armenian Economy Ministry, more than 5,300 companies with Iranian capital operate in Armenia. Iranian companies are represented in the information technology, manufacturing, construction and real estate, trade, agriculture, tourism and transport sectors. source
In total, Iran has invested more than $3 billion in Armenia in the last 28 years. Iran spent $100 million on more than 100 projects in Armenia and provided only $20,000 in aid to the Palestinian people. reference
In conclusion, let's return to Iran's recent "humanitarian" housing and settlement aid to Palestine. We reiterate that this "humanitarian action" is Iran's first project in Palestine. This confirms that until now no steps have been taken to improve the social and economic condition of people in this region. This also makes it clear that the Tehran regime is indifferent to the lives of people suffering from hunger, misery, poverty, poor housing conditions, lack of food, water, fuel and heating, and other social security in Palestine, Syria, Yemen and other regions. It's not the desperate people that Iran values but the military groups and criminals it finances and arms.
As you can see, the Iranian regime, which claims to care about Palestine, opens wide arms to Christian Armenia and Syria, and spends its money generously them, but does not want to help Palestine, which is suffocating in hunger and poverty. Tehran does not give one-hundredth of the financial aid and support it gives to Syria and Armenia to Palestine. While all foreign donors, the European Union, the Arab League and other international institutions allocated money to Palestine for social and living needs, Iran helped terrorist and armed groups in the region with weapons and military supplies. However, the mullahcracy considers Gaza its "red line" on behalf of Palestine, and it tries to blackmail and threaten the Islamic countries cooperating with Israel.
