Following murder of six Israeli hostages, US unveils formal indictments of 6 Hamas leaders

Charges could lead to more concrete actions by the US government against Hamas

Read this article in:

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday night announced indictments against six Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, over their roles in the Oct. 7 massacres.

According to a Justice Department official, the charges were originally filed in February, but kept under seal in the hope that then-political leader Ismail Haniyeh would be captured and brought to trial in the United States.

The six leaders charged in the indictments include three living and three deceased Hamas leaders, although all were alive at the time of filing.

The leaders who are still alive are Yahya Sinwar, who was recently elected as the terror organization’s political leader, currently in hiding somewhere in Gaza; Khaled Meshaal, based in Doha, Qatar, and who heads the group's diaspora office; and Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official based in Lebanon.

The deceased leaders are former political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran at the end of July, also based out of Doha; former military leader Mohammed Deif, killed in an IDF airstrike on July 13, believed to be one of the main planners of the Oct. 7 attacks along with Sinwar; and Marwan Issa, considered third in command of the military wing after Sinwar and Deif, who Israel eliminated in an airstrike in March.

"As outlined in our complaint, those defendants – armed with weapons, political support, and funding from the Government of Iran, and support from (Hezbollah) – have led Hamas’s efforts to destroy the State of Israel and murder civilians in support of that aim," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against Senior Leaders of Hamas pic.twitter.com/z8gS2lUGvV
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) September 3, 2024

The complaint, filed in federal court in New York City, includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terror organization, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, as well as accusations against Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, over their support for Hamas.

It is believed the decision to unveil the charges stems from the murder of six Israeli hostages last week, including one, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a dual American-Israeli citizen.

In the video statement, Garland said, “We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of the brutal murders of Americans, as acts of terrorism.”

“We will continue to support the whole of government effort to bring the Americans still being held hostage home.”

Garland also stated: “The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,” and promised, “These actions will not be our last.”

By submitting formal charges, the U.S. may take several concrete steps against Hamas, including the seizure of assets, such as cryptocurrency wallets owned or operated by the leaders. It could also lead to the U.S. putting pressure on Qatar to hand over Meshaal, who currently resides there.

Qatar, which has hosted Hamas leaders for around a decade, also hosts two U.S. military bases and is considered a major non-NATO U.S. ally in the region. Qatar’s material support for Hamas has been a point of contention for Israeli leaders, who have not acted against Hamas leadership in Qatar out of a desire not to jeopardize U.S. interests in the Arab Gulf nation.