RAFAH, Gaza, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Hamas officials have smuggled more than $66 million into Gaza and have met with U.S. Democrats at a secret location, it was reported Wednesday.
The money covered the salaries of 69 percent of the Palestinian Authority's 160,000 civil servants, authority Planning Minister Samir Abu Aisheh said.
This was the first time a senior Hamas official revealed the sum smuggled into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The United States lists Hamas as a terrorist organization funded by Iran, Palestinian expatriates and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
Meanwhile, the Bethlehem-based Maan News Agency reported Hamas representatives recently had secret talks with U.S. Democratic Party officials in anticipation of the party regaining congressional power in Washington.
The Palestinian news agency also said Hamas had secret talks with European government officials, including with Britain and France.
Hamas succeeded in convincing European officials to accept the Sunni Islamist movement's plan for a long-term truce with Israel as a substitute for recognizing Israel's right to exist, the report said.
