WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Tuesday against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other militants in connection with the Oct. 7, 2023, rampage in Israel.
The seven-count criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death.
It also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support, weapons, including rockets, and military supplies to Hamas for use in attacks.
“The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video statement.
Other Hamas leaders charged include Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who helped plan last year’s attack; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group; Mohammed al-Masri and Ali Baraka.
However, with Sinwar in hiding, Khurma doesn’t see the charges adding more pressure on Hamas.
She said the case was still important for the U.S. because many of those killed or kidnapped were Americans and because the country doesn’t recognize the International Criminal Court.
During the Oct. 7 attacks, Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage.
The criminal complaint describes the massacre as the “most violent, large-scale terrorist attack” in Hamas’ history.
Hamas has accused Israel of dragging out months of negotiations by issuing new demands.
WASHINGTON— Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and other militants face criminal charges announced by the Justice Department on Tuesday in relation to the Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli rampage.
Charges of plotting to give material support to a foreign terrorist organization with the intent to cause death are part of the seven-count criminal complaint that was filed in federal court in New York City. Additionally, Hamas is accused of receiving military supplies, weapons, including rockets, and financial support from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon for use in attacks.
In a video statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations.”. “We won’t stop with these actions. “.
Following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, Sinwar was named the overall leader of Hamas and is currently the most wanted man in Israel. He may have lived in tunnels beneath Gaza for the majority of the previous ten months, though it’s unknown how much contact he has had with the outside world.
In addition to Haniyeh, other charged Hamas leaders include Ali Baraka, Mohammed al-Masri, Khaled Mashaal, another deputy of Haniyeh, Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who assisted in organizing the attack last year, and Haniyeh himself.
According to national security spokesman John Kirby, the recent “executions” by Hamas of six hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American, highlight “the sense of urgency” in the negotiations.
In the statement, Garland stated, “We are looking into Hersh’s murder as well as every single brutal American murder as an act of terrorism.”. “Our support for the government’s overall endeavor to free the remaining American hostages will not end. “.
A long-serving Palestinian prisoner named Sinwar was set free in an exchange akin to one that would take place as part of an agreement to end hostilities and free hostages.
The accusations are “yet another tool” in the American arsenal. s. in reaction to the danger Hamas represents to the U.S. S. and its allies Israel, according to Merissa Khurma, director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East program in Washington.
A major victory for the U.S. would occur if Sinwar was apprehended and prosecuted for organizing the October 7 attacks. s. along with all those who have lost loved ones,” she wrote in an email.
But Khurma doesn’t think the accusations will put further pressure on Hamas given that Sinwar is currently hiding. She pointed out that the world’s top war crimes court’s chief prosecutor didn’t try to weaken or alter the behavior of Hamas leaders like Sinwar during the cease-fire talks, despite seeking arrest warrants for them.
She claimed that the case was still crucial for the U.S. S. because the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court and because a large number of those killed or abducted were Americans.
In October of… After seven attacks, Hamas captured about 250 people and killed about 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians. There are still about 100 hostages, about one-third of whom are thought to be dead.
The massacre is referred to as the “most violent, large-scale terrorist attack” in Hamas’ history in the criminal complaint. It describes how Hamas agents used “trucks, motorcycles, bulldozers, speedboats, and paragliders” to enter southern Israel and launch a vicious campaign of violence that included close-quarters machine gun shootings, rape, and genital mutilation.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its tally, claims that over 40,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory offensive. The majority of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants were forced to flee their homes, often more than once, as a result of the war, which has also left widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis.
By making new demands, Israel, according to Hamas, is prolonging months of negotiations.
