A 38-year old Arab woman from the Abu Tor neighborhood in Jerusalem was indicted on Monday for allegedly contacting the Hamas terror group and aiding in money transfers on behalf of the organization.
Delal Abu Alhuwa was arraigned in a Jerusalem court, charged with maintaining contacts with a foreign agent, providing material support for terrorism, and other crimes.
According to the indictment, in early April, 2015, Abu Alhuwa’s house was severely damaged when a short circuit sparked fire.
After the fire, the suspect’s brother, Ayman Hamida - a terrorist sitting in Israel’s Eshel prison – directed her to contact Hamas representatives and request aid as the relative of a jailed terrorist.
Afterwards, it is alleged, Abu Alhuwa contacted two Hamas terrorists – Mahmoud Kawasameh and Bassem Abu Sneneh – both of whom had been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in terror attacks, only to be freed in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit.
The suspect allegedly kept in contact via telephone with the two Hamas agents for the following year. The two transferred tens of thousands of shekels to her, to be distributed to Hamas terrorists held in Israeli jails. Abu Alhuwa deposited the money in prisoner accounts – from which prisoners can purchase snacks and other personal goods in prison.
Hamas compensated Abu Alhuwa for her work, paying her 50 shekels ($13) for every deposit she made.
In total, the suspect received some $5,500 from Hamas towards the renovation of her home, along with 43,000 shekels ($11,400) as compensation for placing deposits on Hamas’ behalf.