The United States, in collaboration with the United Kingdom, implemented a third round of sanctions targeting key leaders and financiers of the Hamas group, as announced by the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated in the official release, “The United States will continue to work with our partners, including the U.K., to deny Hamas the ability to raise and use funds to carry out its atrocities.” The sanctions specifically focus on Hamas officials and the mechanisms through which Iran supports both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Yellen emphasized the collective effort to degrade Hamas’s financial infrastructure, sever external funding, and block new channels the group seeks for financing its actions. Israel, in response to Hamas’s attack, expressed determination to eliminate the group.
Among those sanctioned on Tuesday were Mahmoud Khaled Zahhar, a senior member and co-founder of Hamas, PIJ’s representative to Iran, and the Damascus-based Deputy Secretary General of PIJ. The leader of PIJ’s militant wing also faced sanctions.
Additionally, the U.S. targeted Lebanon-based money exchange company Nabil Chouman & Co, along with its owner and founder, accusing the company of serving as a conduit for transferring funds to Hamas. The U.S. Treasury stated that tens of millions of dollars were transferred to the group through this company.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the designated individuals and generally prohibit Americans from engaging with them. Transactions with these sanctioned entities also carry the risk of further sanctions.
