Israeli police detain local officials suspected of pocketing aid sent after Oct 7 attack

Israeli authorities are investigating a group of local officials and businesspeople that investigators suspect siphoned millions of dollars of wartime aid being funneled to help people in the early days of the Israel-Hamas war. Police on Monday said that in the months leading up to Monday’s arrest, investigators had tracked unnamed local leaders on the suspicion that they had diverted and pocketed funds. The arrests come after donations surged following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Organizations around the world funneled aid to help the municipalities scrambling to provide services to constituents who were displaced from homes.