Gaza Deal Turns Terrorists into Millionaires

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The latest Gaza ceasefire deal has unleashed a shocking consequence: the creation of 160 Palestinian terrorist millionaires, each enriched through years of “pay-for-slay” stipends from the Palestinian Authority (PA) while serving prison sentences for murdering Israelis. Now freed under the U.S.-brokered Gaza agreement, many of these convicted killers have walked out of Israeli jails not only unrepentant–but wealthy, celebrated as heroes, and financially rewarded for their crimes.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the development as “a moral outrage and political farce,” accusing the PA of continuing to pay salaries to terrorists–including Hamas operatives–and blasting the European Union for “whitewashing terror by rewarding a regime that pays killers instead of stopping them.”

Speaking alongside Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Budapest, Sa’ar said the PA merely changed how it distributes its “terror stipends,” transferring funds through Palestinian postal branches to conceal direct payments.

“Contrary to its promises in English, the PA continues its policy of paying salaries to terrorists,” Sa’ar said. “The PA rewards murderers with Jewish blood on their hands–both those in prison and those released in the latest deal. It has never stopped, only changed its method.”

Sa’ar added that the EU “whitewashes” these crimes by providing political and financial backing to the PA: “Instead of demanding accountability, the European Union encourages terror. It seeks to reward the PA with its own terrorist state.”

He urged European leaders to follow Hungary’s example and “stop paying terrorists now.”

Israel’s Money Behind PA Payments

Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, former head of the IDF military prosecution in Judea and Samaria and researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, warned that much of the PA’s terror financing originates from Israel itself.

“Out of every 100 shekels the PA pays terrorists, 65 come from us–from the VAT and income taxes we transfer under the Oslo Accords,” Hirsch said. “We are literally funding the murder of our children. It’s time to cut off this pipeline once and for all.”

According to Hirsch, 160 of the 250 terrorists released in the latest ceasefire deal became millionaires, each receiving monthly stipends of roughly 8,000 shekels ($2,250) for years.

The “Pay-for-Slay” System

Reports by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) and Israel365 show that the PA paid more than $70 million to convicted terrorists recently freed by Israel. The “pay-for-slay” policy, established by Palestinian law in 2004, provides escalating salaries to prisoners and their families based on sentence length and the severity of attacks.

The more Israelis a terrorist kills, the higher his monthly salary. The program consumes nearly 7% of the PA’s annual budget, more than what the PA spends on healthcare for its citizens.

Among those who profited:
• Maher Abu-Surur, murderer of Shin Bet agent Haim Nachmani (1993)
• Jihad A-Karim Azziz-Rom, involved in the 2000 Ramallah lynching
• Mohammad Imran, mastermind of a 2002 Kiryat Arba ambush that killed 12 Israelis
• Imad Qawasmeh, orchestrated the 2004 Beersheva bus bombings
• Qassem Aref Khalil al-Asafreh, murderer of 18-year-old Dvir Sorek (2019)

“These killers are released not to remorse, but to prosperity,” Hirsch said. “They return to society as heroes–and as millionaires.”

European and U.S. Complicity

Itamar Marcus, founder and director of PMW, said Western governments share responsibility by funding the PA’s broader budget, which indirectly frees funds for terrorist stipends.

“This is not legitimate foreign aid–it’s complicity in terror,” Marcus told JNS. “The EU and other donors pay civil servants’ salaries, allowing the PA to use its own money to reward murderers.”

The U.S. Taylor Force Act (2018) sought to restrict American aid to the PA until it halted terror payments, while Israel enacted a similar deduction law in 2018. Yet both measures have been circumvented through restructured payment systems, including a PA-controlled bank that exclusively pays terrorist salaries.

Hostage Struggle and Hungarian Support

Sa’ar also thanked Hungary for its help in the hostage crisis, presenting Szijjártó with a personal letter from former hostage Omri Miran, a dual Israeli-Hungarian citizen, expressing gratitude to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian government for securing his release.

“The struggle has not ended,” Sa’ar said. “Hamas still holds 13 of our deceased hostages, in violation of the agreement. Hamas must return them immediately.”

A Culture of Incentivized Terror

Despite international criticism, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to continue the payments, declaring: “If one penny remains in our hands, it is for the martyrs and prisoners.”

Marcus warned that this system glorifies murderers as national heroes. “In Palestinian society, terrorists are called Asra–a title of honor, like ‘ambassador.’ They are the most respected figures in the community,” he said.

The result, analysts say, is a cycle of incentivized violence where terrorism is financially profitable and socially celebrated.

A Moral and Security Crisis

Critics in Israel are calling for decisive action to halt the PA’s financial rewards for terrorism. Hirsch summed it up bluntly: “A terrorist knows he won’t die in prison. He’ll leave with a fortune and fame. That’s a dangerous moral distortion–and a national disgrace.”

As 160 “terrorist millionaires” walk free and hostages remain unreturned, many Israelis are asking whether peace is even possible when one side profits from murder.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.