U.S. charges top Hamas leaders with terrorism in high-profile indictment

09/10/2024 / By Richard Brown

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on September 3 a series of criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and five other senior Hamas officials, both living and deceased, for alleged terrorist activities spanning from the 1990s to the present.

The seven-count indictment, unsealed in a New York federal court, includes charges against Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammad Al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka.

According to the DOJ, Sinwar is the current leader of Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and is also a founder of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. He is believed to be based in the Gaza Strip. Meshaal, known as Abu al-Waleed, served as chairman of Hamas’s political bureau from 2004 to 2017 and now manages the group’s international affairs from Qatar. (Related: Alleged mastermind of Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Yahya Sinwar, named as new Hamas leader.)

Baraka, who oversees Hamas’ foreign relations, is thought to reside in Lebanon. Three of the defendants are either confirmed or presumed dead.

Hamas has confirmed that Haniyeh was killed in a targeted attack in Iran on July 30. The Israeli military reported that Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif and a leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in an airstrike on July 13, though Hamas has not officially confirmed this. Issa, another Gaza-based commander in the Qassam Brigades, was reported killed on March 10.

The indictment details various conspiracies from 1997 onwards aimed at promoting terrorism and targeting U.S. nationals.

The charges include conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, conspiracy to commit bombing resulting in death, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and evading sanctions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that these charges are part of a broader strategy to dismantle Hamas’ operations. He also highlighted the murder of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American taken hostage by Hamas during its October 7 attack on southern Israel.

Goldberg-Polin was among six hostages whose remains were recently recovered from Hamas tunnels in Rafah.

Garland assured that U.S. authorities would investigate Goldberg-Polin’s death and other Hamas-related killings of Americans as acts of terrorism.

America’s decision to charge Hamas leaders undermines its role as mediator in ceasefire negotiations

Efforts are ongoing to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza. Of the approximately 250 captives taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack, 117 have been released alive – 105 through a November exchange and others through subsequent Israeli rescue operations.

The bodies of 37 additional captives have been recovered, with around 100 hostages still in Hamas’ possession.

Hamas has proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly rejected these terms, vowing to defeat Hamas and prevent any resurgence as a threat to Israeli security.

The U.S. charges come as the White House is working with Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to develop a new ceasefire and hostage deal aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza.

Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera that the U.S. decision to charge Hamas leaders undermines its role as a mediator in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

Khouri criticized the U.S. for its strong support of Israel’s actions in Gaza, which the UN has described as a potential genocide and for its long-standing designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. He argued that the U.S. is more focused on holding Hamas accountable than addressing Israeli actions, leading many to view the U.S. as complicit rather than an impartial mediator.

Read more news about the escalating conflict between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East at WWIII.news.

Watch this ABC News report about the U.S., Qatar and Egypt calling for renewed negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

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