US sanctions 10 Hamas members, financial facilitators
THE US Treasury announced sanctions on 10 Hamas members, operatives and financial facilitators on Wednesday (Oct 18), including a key commander, as conflict rages after the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel.
The new sanctions target individuals based in Gaza and elsewhere, including Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar, the US agency said in a statement.
“The United States is taking swift and decisive action to target Hamas’s financiers and facilitators following its brutal and unconscionable massacre of Israeli civilians, including children,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a statement.
Hamas launched a surprise assault inside Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,400 people.
After Israel declared war and began retaliatory strikes, some 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Hamas health authorities.
The sanctions come as President Joe Biden started his visit to Israel on Wednesday.
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“The US Treasury has a long history of effectively disrupting terror finance, and we will not hesitate to use our tools against Hamas,” Yellen added.
She said that Washington will “continue to take all steps necessary” to deny Hamas the ability to raise funds for carrying out “atrocities.”
The US has previously designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
To date, the Treasury said it has taken aim at nearly 1,000 individuals and entities connected to terrorism and terrorist financing by the Iranian regime and proxies including Hamas and Hezbollah. AFP
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