The United States and United Kingdom on Friday announced fresh sanctions against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, targeting money transfers from Iran and other groups that have been funding the militant organization’s activities in the Gaza Strip.
The sanctions target two top Hamas officials — Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader in the occupied territories. The sanctions block all of their personal assets within the jurisdiction of the U.S. and U.K., as well as the assets of companies and other persons related to them.
The U.S. Treasury Department says it is targeting a sophisticated financial network linked to Iran that has facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars of support to Hamas over the past six years.
The U.K. Treasury Department said in a statement that it was taking action to disrupt “a critical source of Hamas’ funding.”
The sanctions come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hamas, which recently resumed rocket attacks following a fragile ceasefire.
