UK and US target key Hamas leaders and financiers with new sanctions

Britain and the United States have targeted key Hamas leaders and financiers with new sanctions as they seek to cut off funding for the terrorist group after its massacre in Israel last month.

New foreign secretary David Cameron confirmed sanctions on four Hamas senior leaders and two financiers, in a statement put out by the foreign office including the group’s political leader in Gaza and the commander of its military arm.

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ political leader in Gaza, is among individuals from the group’s political and military wings targeted by today’s UK sanctions. He is reported to have been involved in the brutal attacks on Israel last month.

Also designated is Muhammed Deif, commander of the group’s military arm.

The sanctions show that the terror group’s leaders cannot escape the consequences of their actions, even if they are pulling the strings from outside of Gaza.

Those covered include a Lebanon-based financier and money launderer in Sudan.

Former prime minister Cameron said:”We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt the abhorrent activity of this terrorist organisation, working with the United States and our other allies, making it harder for them to operate and isolating them on the world stage.

The Palestinian people are victims of Hamas too. We stand in solidarity with them and will continue to support humanitarian pauses to allow significantly more lifesaving aid to reach Gaza.”

The United States announced its third round of sanctions since the attack, targeting key Hamas officials and the mechanisms through which Iran provides support to Hamas and its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another militant group.

In the UK, Cameron said the country “stands in solidarity” with the Palestinian people caught up in the crisis and calls on all parties to agree to humanitarian pauses to allow lifesaving aid into Gaza