On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders for their role in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which the department called “terrorist atrocities.”
The charges, filed in a New York City federal court, include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction resulting in death.
The complaint also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons, including rockets, used in the attack.
This is the first time U.S. prosecutors have formally named those responsible for the October 7 massacre.
“These charges are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video address. “These actions will not be our last. The Justice Department has a long memory. We will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans – and those who illegally provide them with material support – for the rest of their lives.”
Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage.
Tuesday’s charges come days after Israeli Defense Forces recovered the bodies of Israeli hostages – including 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin – in tunnels beneath Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar, Hamas’ chief, is believed to be hiding in Hamas’ extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza. It’s unclear how much contact he has with the outside world.
Sinwar was appointed the overall head of Hamas following the death of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and is on Israel’s most-wanted list.
Other Hamas leaders charged include Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who helped plan last year’s attack and who Israel says was killed when fighter jets struck an underground compound in central Gaza in March; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group; Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ longtime shadowy military leader, who is thought to be dead following an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza in July; and Ali Baraka, Hamas’ head of external relations.
The DOJ said at least one person – whose name they did not specify in the complaint – is “expected to be first brought to and arrested in the Southern District of New York.”
’ David Spunt and