The U.S. Urges Its Allies in the Middle East to Help Cut Hamas's Financial Networks

In an emergency meeting of the 'Terrorist Financing Targeting Center', the U.S. called on its allies in the Middle East to enhance their efforts to cut off foreign financial aid to Hamas. The U.S. Treasury Department urged member countries of this center to use their influence to stop the flow of funds to Hamas. The U.S., the European Union, and Japan have designated the militant group Hamas, which is supported by the Islamic Republic, as a terrorist organization. The 'Terrorist Financing Targeting Center' was established in 2017 to strengthen multilateral efforts between the U.S. and Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to combat regional money laundering and the financing networks of terrorist groups. Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, 'From the U.S. perspective, failure to act against Hamas and its terrorist activities will ultimately harm the Palestinians.' Mr. Nelson added, 'We cannot tolerate a world where financial providers for Hamas and other terrorist organizations continue to thrive, misuse the financial system to sustain their terrorist activities, and remain unpunished.' The meeting of the 'Terrorist Financing Targeting Center', which was planned for November, was held earlier due to the Israel-Hamas crisis. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury imposed new sanctions on Wednesday, October 18, against 10 key members, operatives, and financial facilitators of Hamas in Gaza, as well as in Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, and Qatar. These sanctions target members responsible for a secret investment portfolio of Hamas in Gaza, a financial facilitator based in Qatar with close ties to the Islamic Republic, a senior Hamas commander, and a virtual exchange based in Gaza and its operator. Jessica Davis, a counter-terrorism financing expert, told Voice of America that international efforts to cut Hamas's funding had decreased in recent years with the perception that the terrorist threat from this group had diminished. The U.S. has asked members of the 'Terrorist Financing Targeting Center' and other regional countries to coordinate actions to prevent Hamas from transferring fundraising efforts from one country to another when sanctions are enforced. Ms. Davis stated, 'There are many ways to finance Hamas that can be eliminated, and this is not only in the Middle East because Hamas operates extensive networks that play a role in garnering support from charitable organizations.' This expert added that many of these networks are in the Middle East, but a significant number also operate outside the region, and shutting them down could have a meaningful impact on Hamas and its ability to continue its activities. On the other hand, the House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, sent a letter to the Biden administration urging the U.S. Agency for International Development to ensure that humanitarian aid to Gaza does not reach Hamas or other organizations recognized by the U.S. government as terrorist groups. This letter, addressed to Samantha Power, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, was signed by 24 Republican members of the committee. The letter emphasized that under the Trump administration, aid to Gaza had significantly decreased due to uncertainty about whether it would benefit Hamas, but this position has changed under the Biden administration. The letter adds, 'If American taxpayer dollars are supporting terrorist activities, the Biden administration must stop this aid to protect Americans and our allies.'