U.S., British officials sanction Hamas-related individuals

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The United States and Britain issued another round of sanctions against Hamas on Wednesday as the militant group continued its fight against Israel.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it coordinated in sanctions closely with British officials against several key individuals working with Hamas and connected with its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

British and U.S. officials said the sanctions targeted the financiers of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad with new sanctions "in fresh clampdown on terror groups." They said the coordinated sanctions aim to isolate Hamas by freezing assets and imposing travel bans.

"Hamas continues to rely heavily on networks of well-placed officials and affiliates, exploiting seemingly permissive jurisdictions to direct fundraising campaigns for the group's benefit and funneling those illicit proceeds to support its military activities in Gaza," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson in a statement.

"We remain focused, as do our allies and partners, on leveraging our collective tools and authorities to degrade Hamas's ability to fund additional attacks and further destabilize the region."

Mentioned in the sanctions are Gaza-based Ismail Musa Ahmad Barhum of the Hamas Shura Council; Turkey-based Haroun Mansour Yaqoub Nasser Al-Din, head of Hamas's Jerusalem office; Ali Abed Al Rahman Baraka, head of Hamas's National Relations Abroad; Jihad Muhammad Shaker Yaghmour, Hamas's official representative to Turkey; Maher Rebhi Obeid, a Lebanon-based senior Hamas political leader; Nizar Mohammed Awadallah, a Gaza-based member of Hamas's board and part of the Hamas Political Bureau; Hassan Al-Wardian, a senior Hamas official in Bethlehem; and Turkey-based Mehmet Kaya, another financier.

The British sanctions included seven individuals including Maher Obeid and Ali Baraka as well as Mahmoud Zahar, the leader and co-founder of Hamas; Akram al-Ajouri, the Deputy Secretary General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Khaled Chouman and Rida Al Khamis, who it said channeled funds to Hamas through Lebanon-based currency exchanges and Aiman Ahmad Al Duwaik, a Hamas financier based in Algeria.

"Hamas can have no future in Gaza," British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said. "Today's sanctions on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will continue to cut off their access to funding and isolate them further. We will continue to work with partners to reach a long-term political solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace."