US unseals ‘terrorism’ charges against Hamas leaders over Oct 7 attack on Israel
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A pro-Palestinian protester holds up a portrait of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who is one of those charged.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The US unsealed a raft of “terrorism” and other charges against six Hamas leaders on Sept 3 related to the armed Palestinian group’s Oct 7, 2023, attack
The charging document, dated Feb 1, targets six leaders of the group – including Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and the late political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in late July in Tehran.
They are accused of “conspiracy to provide material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death”, along with six other counts.
The charges were filed under seal “to position the United States to be ready to take into custody” Haniyeh and the other defendants, a Justice Department official said in a statement. The official cited Haniyeh’s death – which Hamas and Iran say was an Israeli assassination
Hamas, which has been designated a “terrorist organisation” by Washington since 1997, launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct 7, triggering the brutal ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Palestinian group.
The attacks killed at least 43 American citizens, according to the complaint, and resulted in at least 10 Americans being taken as hostages or missing.
“The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last,” US Attorney-General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
‘Mass violence’
Mr Garland said the US authorities were also investigating the killing of Mr Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American taken hostage by Hamas on Oct 7.
His death was announced over the weekend,
“We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism,” Mr Garland said.
Charged along with Sinwar and Haniyeh was Mohammad Al-Masri, the former commander in chief of the al-Qassam Brigades who is believed to have died in July.
Also charged was Marwan Issa, who was the deputy commander of the al-Qassam Brigades from approximately 2007 until his reported death earlier in 2024.
Qatar-based Khaled Meshaal, the head of the group’s diaspora office responsible for overseeing Hamas’ presence outside of Gaza, was also charged.
The final man charged was Ali Baraka, Hamas’ head of national relations, who is also based outside of Gaza.
Israeli commanders believe most-wanted Sinwar, 61, is hiding in a labyrinthine maze of tunnels that Hamas has built under the Gaza Strip over the years.
American officials have charged leaders of terrorist groups in the past, even though they faced little chance of capture or arrest.
The Oct 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people overall, mostly civilians and including hostages killed in captivity, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s campaign against Hamas has so far killed at least 40,819 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The United Nations rights office says most of the dead are women and children. AFP
