The United States has issued new sanctions that seek to cut money flowing to the Hamas militant group in an attempt to stifle the organization's fundraising network.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced the new round of sanctions that target Hamas' fundraising network. It is the department's second attempt to block the militant group's money supply following its attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
US Issues Sanctions Against Hamas Funders
During an interview on Friday, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said that a key reason for acting now is they are seeing increased fundraising activity.
Nelson was in Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week where he appealed for increased cooperation from Gulf nations. Some of these countries maintain channels of communication with the Hamas militant group.
The Treasury Department official spoke from Doha and said that department officials have stepped up their efforts to prevent money from flowing into Hams in recent days. On Friday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo was in London. He laid out steps the United States and its partners were taking to increase the financial pressure on Hamas, as per CNBC.
In a statement, Adeyemo said that while Hamas itself has been under sanctions for decades, there is a need to go after new, emerging shell companies, middlemen, and facilitators. He added that they were working with global partners and allies to increase information sharing and collaboration to tackle terrorist financing.
On top of international cooperation, Ayedemo also emphasized the role of banks and cryptocurrency platforms in the overall sanctions campaign. He noted that they expect financial institutions and digital asset companies as well as others in the virtual currency ecosystem to take steps to prevent terrorists from being able to access resources.
Ayedemo warned that if these institutions do not act to prevent illicit financial flows, the United States and its partners will. The new sanctions on Friday target several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard that the U.S. believes have been raising money for Hamas.
Stifling Hamas' Fundraising Network
The targets of the new sanctions include Khaled Qaddoumi who is described as a liaison between Hamas and the Iranian government. They also target Ali Morshed Shirazi and Mostafa Mohammad Khani, who are officials in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. They are accused of training and assisting Hamas terrorists, according to the Times of Israel.
The list of sanctioned entities also includes a number of organizations, such as the Iranian Bonyad Shahid, which is also known as the Martyrs Foundation. American officials argued that the group funnels millions of dollars through the Gaza-based Al-Ansar Charity Association for the families of terrorists.
The newly announced sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets owned or controlled by the named individuals and organizations. They also prevent financial transactions with those designated and prohibit the contribution of funds, goods, and services to them, said the Associated Press.
Most of the international funding that goes to Gazan terror groups flows from Iran, which has continuously sponsored Hamas with some $100 million every year. The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is also known to contribute tens of millions to the terror groups.
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