US Indicts Hamas Leaders Over October 7th Attack on Israel
The United States has formally charged Yahya Sinwar, a top leader of Hamas, along with several other high-profile figures from the Palestinian group, in connection with the devastating assault on Israel that occurred on October 7th of the previous year.
The Department of Justice announced indictments against six Hamas members, accusing them of seven serious offenses, including the murder of American citizens, conspiracy to fund terrorism, and the use of weapons of mass destruction. The indictment also spans decades of alleged violence orchestrated by Hamas, culminating in the unprecedented attack on southern Israel nearly a year ago.
This marks the first move by US law enforcement to hold accountable those responsible for the October 7th attack. However, it’s believed that up to three of the accused may have already been killed, and Sinwar is thought to be hiding in tunnels beneath Gaza.
In a video statement released on Tuesday, US Attorney General Merrick Garland declared that the defendants were behind “a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and threaten the security of the United States.” He emphasized that the group also spearheaded Hamas’s efforts to “destroy the state of Israel and commit atrocities against civilians in pursuit of that goal.”
Garland highlighted the October 7th attack, where Hamas “slaughtered entire families” in what he described as “the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.” He detailed the horrors of the attack, including the killing of the elderly, children, and the use of sexual violence against women, including rape and genital mutilation. During the assault, Hamas reportedly killed over 1,200 people, making it one of the most lethal events against Jews since the Holocaust.
The indictment also includes other prominent Hamas leaders such as former leader Ismail Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of the organization’s armed wing; Khaled Mashaal, who operates outside Gaza and the West Bank; along with Mohammed Deif and Ali Baraka. They face charges including conspiracy to bomb public places resulting in death, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and providing material support for terrorist acts leading to death.
According to the Justice Department’s complaint, all the “defendants are either deceased or remain at large.” Haniyeh, Issa, and Deif are believed to have been killed in recent months in attacks attributed to Israel.
In his remarks, Garland referred to the recent killing of US-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old, along with 42 other American citizens who lost their lives in the October 7th attack, and the ten Americans taken hostage. “We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as acts of terrorism,” Garland stated.
Should the accused be convicted, they could face life imprisonment or the death penalty. The charges were initially filed in February but were kept confidential until Tuesday, with the hope that the US might capture any of the accused, according to an unnamed Justice Department official who spoke with CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Over the weekend, President Joe Biden condemned Hamas for the killing of Goldberg-Polin, describing it as “both tragic and reprehensible.” Biden vowed, “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will be held accountable for these crimes.”
Meanwhile, the UK has defended its decision to halt some weapons sales to Israel, citing concerns over how those weapons might be used in Gaza. On October 7th, Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages being taken. Since then, more than 40,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
