WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on 10 key Hamas members, operatives and financial facilitators Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Public Affairs.
The sanctions impact Hamas members and allies in Gaza, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar financially, blocking all property and interests in property of the designated members in the U.S.
“This targets members managing assets in a secret Hamas investment portfolio, a Qatar-based financial facilitator with close ties to the Iranian regime, a key Hamas commander, and a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange and its operator,” the press release said.
The sanctions come a week and a half after Hamas militants stormed Israel, attacking innocent Israeli communities and killing thousands of citizens. Since then, Israel has declared a state of war against the terrorist organization.
“The United States is taking swift and decisive action to target Hamas’s financiers and
facilitators following its brutal and unconscionable massacre of Israeli civilians, including
children,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said.
U.S. officials have made it clear that the U.S. stands with the people of Israel amid the conflict, with President Joe Biden visiting the war-torn country on Wednesday and meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas members and operatives included in these sanctions are Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin, Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, Amer Kamal Sharif Alshawa, Ahmed Sadu Jahleb, Aiman Ahmad Al-Duwaik, Walid Mohammed Mustafa Jadallah, Muhammad Ahmad ‘Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah and Ayman Nofal.
Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company, a Gaza-based business that provides money traders and currency exchange, and its owner, Ahmed M. M. Alaqad, have also been targets of these sanctions.