Treasury targets top Hamas leaders and financiers

WASHINGTON Today, the US Treasury Department of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six senior Hamas officials, including representatives of terrorist groups abroad, a senior official from Hamas' military wing, the Izz Brigades Al-Din Al-Qassam, as well as individuals involved in supporting terrorist groups' fundraising efforts and arms smuggling into Gaza.

Hamas continues to rely on key officials who appear to maintain legitimate and visible roles within the group, but who facilitate their terrorist activities, represent their interests abroad, and coordinate the transfer of money and goods to Gaza , said the Acting Deputy Treasury Secretary. for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. Treasury remains committed to disrupting Hamas's efforts to generate additional revenue and holding accountable those who facilitate the group's terrorist activities.

This action marks the ninth installment of OFAC sanctions since October 7, 2023, targeting Hamas and its supporters. The most recent action, on October 7, 2024, targeted Hamas' use of sham charities and one of its main international supporters. OFAC also targeted Hamas cyber actors on April 12, 2024 and some of their financial enablers and funding sources on October 18, 2023 and October 27, 2023. The United States government also worked closely with its principal international partners and allies to counter Hamas. , including a joint designation with Australia and the United Kingdom on January 22, 2024, as well as three actions with the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024, December 13, 2023 and November 14, 2023, all targeting Hamas leaders and financiers.

Those targeted today are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters.

HAMAS LEADERS AND FINANCIALERS ACTIVE ABROAD

Abd al-Rahman Ismail abd al-Rahman Ghanimat (Ghanimat) is a longtime member of Hamas' military wing, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. While now based in Trkiye, Ghanimat, who also founded a Hamas section responsible for supporting Hamas interests in the West Bank, was involved in multiple attempted terrorist attacks, including the bombing in broad daylight in 1997 against a cafe in Tel Aviv.

Musa Daud Muhammad Akari (Akari) is a senior Hamas official based in Trkiye who facilitates the flow of funds from Trkiye to Gaza and the West Bank for Hamas. Akari was previously convicted of the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli border police officer.

Salama Mari (Mari) is a Hamas official based in Trkiye and involved in the financial facilitation of the group. Mari had previously been imprisoned for his role in a 1993 attack in the West Bank that killed an Israeli soldier.

Mohammad Nazzal (Nazzal) is a Hamas official who has supported the terrorist group for over 30 years. As a senior leader of the Hamas Council on International Relations, Nazzal represents Hamas' interests to various international audiences.

Basem Naim (Naim) is a senior Hamas official based in Gaza, who participated in Hamas's engagements with Russia and served on Hamas delegations to other countries. Naim also holds a leadership role on the Hamas Council on International Relations.

Ghazi Hamad (Hamad) is a longtime Gaza-based Hamas leader. He served as editor-in-chief of Hamas propaganda media and is authorized to speak publicly on behalf of Hamas. In addition to these public awareness and propaganda roles, Hamad previously served as a senior Hamas official overseeing border crossings in Gaza. While these border crossings were one of the main ways Hamas smuggled weapons into Gaza, they were also used to smuggle equipment and construction materials that Hamas needed to build a vast network of tunnels. which they intentionally interspersed among Palestinian civilians.

OFAC designates Ghanimat, Akari, Mari, Nazzal, Naim, and Hamad pursuant to EO 13224, as amended, for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf, directly or indirectly, of Hamas, a person whose property and real estate interests are blocked pursuant to EO 13224.

IMPLICATIONS OF SANCTIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in the property of the designated persons described above and any entity owned directly or indirectly by them, 50 percent or more, individually or with d Other blocked persons, who are in the United States or in the possession or control of American persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempted, OFAC regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or in transit) of the United States that involve property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.

U.S. persons must comply with OFAC regulations, including all U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens, regardless of location, all persons in the United States, and all entities incorporated in the States. -United States and their branches abroad. Non-U.S. persons are also subject to certain OFAC prohibitions. For example, non-U.S. persons are prohibited from provoking or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to intentionally or unintentionally violate U.S. sanctions, as well as from engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. Violations of OFAC regulations may result in civil or criminal penalties.

OFAC can impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on the basis of strict liability, meaning that a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction can be held civilly liable even if that person did not know or had no reason to know that she was carrying out a transaction prohibited by the sanctions. laws and regulations administered by OFAC. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidance provides more information about OFAC's enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions, including factors that OFAC generally considers in determining an appropriate response to a violation related. For more information on complying with U.S. sanctions and export control laws, please see the Tri-Seal Compliance Brief from the Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury, and Department of Justice.

Additionally, engaging in certain transactions with today's designated individuals carries a risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to EO 13224, as amended. Under this authority, OFAC may prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintenance in the United States of a correspondent account or pass-through account of a foreign financial institution that conducts or knowingly facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a special financial institution. Designated global terrorist.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, but also from its willingness to remove individuals from the SDN list in accordance with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about positive change in behavior. For more information on the process of requesting removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN list, please refer to OFAC Frequently Asked Questions 897 here. For detailed information on the process of submitting a request to be removed from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.

Click here for more information on today's nominees.

Additional Treasury Resources to Combat Terrorist Financing:

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