US sanctions 10 Hamas operatives, financial facilitators: What we know

The US Treasury has sanctioned 10 Hamas members, operatives, and financial felicitators on Wednesday, including a top commander, as the battle rages in the aftermath of the terrorist group’s surprise strike on Israel.

The latest sanctions target individuals in Gaza and elsewhere, including Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, and Qatar, according to a statement from the State Department.

Members who oversee a Hamas investment portfolio, a Qatar-based financial facilitator with deep ties to the Iranian government, a Hamas commander, and a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange are among those targeted for sanctions by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“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.

“The US Treasury has a long history of effectively disrupting terror finance and we will not hesitate to use our tools against Hamas ,” she said in an emailed statement, as reported by AP.

The sanctions

The sanctions are financial penalties aimed at preventing access to funds held in the United States and preventing people and businesses from doing business with Americans.

The sanctions, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are “directed at Hamas terrorists and their support network, not Palestinians.”

“Hamas alone is responsible for the carnage its militants have inflicted on the people of Israel, and it should immediately release all hostages in its custody,” Blinken said. “The United States will not relent in using all the tools at our disposal to disrupt Hamas terrorist activity.”

Hamas launched a surprise attack in Israel on 7 October, resulting in over 1,400 casualties, mainly civilians, and hostages taken to Gaza . Israel retaliated, causing nearly 3,500 deaths, mostly civilians, and over 12,000 injuries in Gaza.

The sanctions come as President Joe Biden visits Tel Aviv on Wednesday to show support for Israel and to hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the sanctioned parties helped enable Hamas to “carry out acts like the vicious attack on Israel.”

“Today’s actions are directed at Hamas terrorists and their support network, not Palestinians,” he added, calling for a release of hostages in its custody.

Yellen added that Washington will “continue to take all steps necessary” to deny Hamas the ability to raise funds for carrying out “atrocities.”

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.

‘Investment portfolio’

“In addition to the funds Hamas receives from Iran, its global portfolio of investments generates vast sums of revenue through its assets, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the Treasury said.

Among those designated on Wednesday are six people associated with a Hamas “secret investment portfolio.”

They include Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau; as well as Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, a Sudan-based Hamas financier.

Two “senior Hamas officials,” were also targeted: Muhammad Ahmad ‘Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah based in Qatar and Ayman Nofal, who was allegedly killed in an airstrike on Tuesday, the Treasury said.

The department also took aim at a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange, alongside its operator, noting that Hamas has relied on donations including via virtual currency.

As a result of the sanctions, property of designated individuals in the US must be blocked and reported, alongside other restrictions.

Financial institutions engaging in certain transactions with sanctioned parties could also expose themselves to enforcement.

“We’re cutting them off from access to their money,” said a Treasury official, adding that senior officials will also be traveling to coordinate with allies.

‘Will not tolerate any funds to Hamas’

The White House has stated that it has yet to discover evidence that Iran, Hamas’ primary financial and military sponsor, was directly involved in the multi-pronged Hamas assault – the largest strike on Israel in decades. US officials have stated that their intelligence does not indicate a direct role by Iran and have not assigned blame to the country.

Wally Adeyemo, Treasury Deputy Secretary, told reporters on Wednesday that Treasury officials will travel to the region in the coming days to continue their sanctions work.

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Illicit Finance Brian Nelson said on Tuesday at a Deloitte anti-money laundering conference that the US is renewing its plans to pursue Hamas funding sources and urged American allies and the private sector to do the same or “be prepared to suffer the consequences.”

“We cannot, and we will not, tolerate money flowing through the international system for Hamas’ terrorist activity,” he said.

“We want to partner with all willing countries and financial entities to stop Hamas financing,” he went on to say, “but to the extent that any institution or jurisdiction fails to take appropriate action, they should then be prepared to suffer the consequences.”

With inputs from AP and AFP