US sanctions 10 Hamas associates, monetary facilitators

The United States Wednesday imposed sanctions on 10 Hamas members, operatives, and financial intermediaries connected to the group as the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated.

These new sanctions target individuals located in Gaza, as well as in countries such as Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, and Qatar, according to a statement by the US Treasury on Wednesday.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated: "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."

The recent tensions erupted when Hamas launched an unexpected assault inside Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,400 people. In response, Israel declared war, leading to a devastating toll in the Gaza Strip, with nearly 3,500 casualties, primarily among civilians. More than 12,000 Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli response.

These sanctions come as US President Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv to show support for Israel. Yellen emphasised that the US Treasury has a strong track record of disrupting terror financing and will not hesitate to use its tools against Hamas. Washington remains committed to taking all necessary steps to prevent Hamas from raising funds to carry out further "atrocities."

The United States has previously designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and the Treasury has targeted nearly 1,000 individuals and entities associated with terrorism and terrorist financing, often linked to the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Treasury also highlighted Hamas's substantial revenue generated from its global portfolio of investments, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, in addition to funds it receives from Iran. Notably, the sanctions specifically targeted six individuals associated with Hamas's "secret investment portfolio."

Among those designated were Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin, a member of Hamas's Political Bureau; Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, a Hamas financier based in Sudan; and two "senior Hamas officials," Muhammad Ahmad 'Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah based in Qatar and Ayman Nofal, who was allegedly killed in an airstrike on Tuesday.

The US Treasury also addressed the use of virtual currency by Hamas, which often relies on small-dollar donations. Consequently, these sanctions require the blocking and reporting of designated individuals' US-based properties, along with other imposed restrictions. Financial institutions engaged in transactions with sanctioned entities or individuals could potentially face enforcement actions.

This move by the US government underscores its commitment to disrupting the financial networks supporting Hamas and its operations.