New US and UK Sanctions Against Hamas Financing Network in Several Countries

The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed new sanctions on several officials and financial providers of Hamas. On Wednesday, December 13, the US State Department announced the implementation of the fourth round of sanctions against a network of Hamas officials and financial providers in coordination with the UK, which simultaneously targets several key Hamas officials. The statement reads: "Our allies and partners are firmly committed to dismantling the networks that support Hamas's financial flows, as part of our ongoing efforts to deter and prevent the terrorist activities of that group." Additionally, a statement released by the US Treasury Department on the same day noted that the new round of sanctions targets "key Hamas officials involved in managing the financial affairs of this group and representing its interests abroad." According to the Treasury Department, the UK has also sanctioned several key Hamas officials in coordination with the United States. Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Deputy Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated: "Hamas continues to heavily rely on networks of officials in appropriate positions, who use seemingly legitimate judicial powers to direct fundraising campaigns for the benefit of this group, channeling these illegal revenues to support the military activities of this group in Gaza." The statement lists the individuals sanctioned today as Ismail Moussa Ahmad Barham residing in Gaza, Haroun Mansour Yaqub Nasruddin residing in Turkey, Ali Abdul Rahman Barakeh residing in Lebanon, Jihad Mohammed Shakir Yaghmour, Hamas representative in Turkey, Maher Rabhi Ubeid residing in Lebanon, Nizar Mohammed Awadallah residing in Gaza, Hassan Al-Wardiyan representing Bethlehem, and Mehmet Kaya residing in Turkey. On October 7, Hamas and its allied militants carried out extensive terrorist attacks and assaults on southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. The United States, the UK, the European Union, Japan, Australia, and several other countries have classified Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups as terrorist organizations.