© Reuters. Palestinian opponents from the armed wing of Hamas rob fragment in a defense pressure parade to designate the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File List
By Doina Chiacu
(Reuters) – The US and Britain are taking a strong stance by imposing an additional round of sanctions on individuals linked to the Palestinian Hamas militant group, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday.
The new sanctions specifically target eight officials who support Hamas’ agenda and interests in other countries and assist in managing its finances, said the Treasury in a statement.
“Hamas continues to rely heavily on networks of well-placed officials and allies to raise money for the group’s benefit and to fund its military activities in Gaza,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
The sanctions target individuals such as Haroun Mansour Yaqoub Nasser Al-Din, considered a key financial operative for Hamas in Turkey, who has been involved in transferring funds from Turkey and Gaza to support Hamas activities in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Britain’s international office also joined the efforts by imposing sanctions on seven individuals associated with Hamas and other militant groups, including Hamas’ co-founder and other key figures in its financial network.
Hamas has responded, calling the sanctions unjustified and based on false allegations. The group is urging the US and UK to reassess their aggressive policies towards the Palestinian people.
In previous rounds of sanctions, individuals such as Ismail Musa Ahmad Barhum and Jihad Muhammad Shaker Yaghmour were targeted for their involvement in Hamas’ financial operations.
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