VIDEO: 'Israeli' forces raid, steal nearly $270K from currency exchange store in Ramallah

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) carried out a raid in central Ramallah on Tuesday, targeting a currency exchange office and leaving dozens of Palestinians injured, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported.

A statement from the IOF claimed that the raid targeted "a currency exchange business that transfers terror funds to Hamas." Five individuals "suspected of terrorist activity" were arrested, and "hundreds of thousands of shekels that were identified as terror funds" were seized.

According to circulating reports, the IOF stole nearly one million shekels (approximately USD 270,000).

The PRCS reported that at least 27 Palestinians were wounded during the raid: eight by live ammunition, 14 by rubber bullets, and five by shrapnel. Another 31 people received treatment for tear-gas inhalation. The organization also accused the IOF of obstructing medical teams trying to evacuate the injured.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists on the scene described soldiers stationed around Al-Manara Square and on surrounding balconies. Shopkeeper Ihab Abu Sneineh, 22, told AFP, "Special forces suddenly stormed the area. We didn't know what was happening," adding that the troops "stormed from all directions" before entering a currency exchange near his shop.

According to witnesses, some Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers as the operation unfolded. The IOF later withdrew in the early afternoon. Among the injured, the PRCS treated a 12-year-old boy shot in the back and a 71-year-old man wounded in the raid.

Raids on Palestinian population centers, especially in the northern West Bank, have increased since the start of the Gaza war. Earlier operations this year, including those in December 2023, also targeted currency exchanges.

Egypt condemned Tuesday's operation, denouncing what it called "aggressive and extremist Israeli policies" and describing 'Israel' as "the main source of destabilisation in the region."

Since the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, at least 972 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by 'Israeli' soldiers or settlers.