Israeli warplanes on Wednesday bombed money-changing offices in Gaza City regularly used by Hamas as conduits for funds arriving from Syria and Iran.
Army officials said the millions of dollars that have flowed through those money-changers have been used to finance anti-Israel terrorist activity, including the manufacture of Kassam rockets. Southern Israel has been pelted by more than 200 such rockets over the past 10 days.
According to a statement released by Israel's military spokesman, the transfer of funds to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations is "a central motivator to their violent and aggressive activity against Israeli civilians. These funds help maintain and extend the terrorist infrastructures while increasing the supply of weapons at their disposal, paying terror operatives and enabling them to train."
Israel has been gradually expanding its military operations against the Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, though Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to maintain there will be no large-scale ground offensive.