The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges on Tuesday against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and five other leaders of the terror group in connection with the October 7 attack on Israel. This marks the first formal effort by American law enforcement to notify those behind the assault.
The seven-count criminal complaint, filed in federal court in New York City, includes charges such as conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction resulting in death.
The complaint also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons to Hamas.
While the impact of the case may be largely symbolic, as Sinwar is believed to be hiding in tunnels in Gaza and three of the defendants are presumed dead, officials indicate that this is part of a broader effort to target Hamas, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Hamas has been linked to numerous deadly attacks on Israel, including suicide bombings.
The complaint was initially filed under seal in February to give the U.S. time to attempt the capture of then-Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
However, following Haniyeh’s assassination on July 31 and other recent developments, the need for secrecy diminished, according to the Justice Department.
On Monday, former American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin was laid to rest in Jerusalem, two days after his body was recovered by the IDF and returned to Israel. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were executed by their Hamas captors, who suspected Israeli troops were approaching.
“We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of the brutal murders of Americans, as acts of terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in a video statement. “We will continue to support the whole-of-government effort to bring the Americans still being held hostage home.”
The other Hamas leaders charged include Ismail Haniyeh, Marwan Issa (killed by Israel in March), Khaled Mashaal, Muhammad Deif (killed by Israel in July), and Ali Baraka, the head of Hamas’s external relations based in Beirut.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
