Conditions in the Gaza Strip have long been dire, with the territory referred to by some as the world's 'largest open air prison'.
Even before the outbreak of war in the wake of Hamas's October 7 terror attack on Israel, half of Palestinians living in Gaza depended on food supplied by the United Nations.
Those conditions have deteriorated over the last month, as Israel continues its bombardment of the 140-square-mile Strip in its mission to destroy the Hamas terror group.
But as the territory's 2.3million people suffer, several hundred millionaires are registered in the coastal Strip.
And while the majority of citizens in the densely populated territory - which is a quarter of the size of Greater London - languish in poverty, a select few live in marble-floored mansions and luxury hotels.
According to the Embassy of Israel in the US, three of Hamas's most senior leaders - Mousa Abu Marzouk, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh - have net worths of more than $3billion each. The embassy also claims that Hamas's annual turnover is $1billion and suggests the group is second only to ISIS as the world's richest terror group.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (far right) is seen on a private plane with other senior Hamas officials
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (centre) pictured in a luxury hotel with two of his sons
Khaled Mashal, the former head of Hamas's political bureau, is seen playing table tennis and in the gym
In the years since taking control, the group's leaders have profited off the misery of the Gazan people.
In a video, the Embassy of Israel in the US accused the group of using its funds for building tunnels and arming its fighters rather than building vital infrastructure such as wells and water treatment.
A study from 2021 suggested that about one-quarter of disease spread in the territory is caused by water pollution, and 12 per cent of deaths of young children are due to infections related to contaminated water.
'While Gazans are deprived of basic needs, Hamas uses aid and funds to line their own pockets,' the embassy said in a post on X (formerly
Twitter).
Israel has also said Hamas continues to attack across the border without building civilian bomb shelters, knowing the Israeli military will retaliate.
Instead, Israel says Hamas's leadership hoards its wealth, uses Palestinians as human shields and allows the population it claims to govern go hungry.
According to German news outlet
Bild, there are four Hamas officials who have grown particularly wealthy over the years - the trio of Abu Marzouk, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh - as well as a fourth named Younis Qafisheh.
The Hamas terrorist billionaires who live in marble-floored mansions