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The European Union has expanded sanctions targeting the militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to include members of Hamas’ Politburo.
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The bloc said Friday that it had listed ten members of Hamas’ top political leadership body as subject to a travel ban and asset freeze, prohibiting making funds or economic resources available to those named, either directly or indirectly.
Those included in the list are Nizar Mohammed Awadallah, Mohammad Nazzal, Husam Badran, Khaled Mashal, Khalil Al-Hayya, Muhammad Ismail Darwish, Zaher Jabarin, Abu Khalil Al-Quds, Fathi Hamad and Moussa Abu Marzouk.
A press release said: “In their capacity as decision-makers of the organisation, the members of the Politburo have knowledge of the planning, preparation and execution of violent actions by Hamas.”
“They actively defend and justify such violent actions, often publicly warning and threatening future attacks,” it added.
The bloc said it remains committed to helping secure a “lasting peace” in Gaza, which has been decimated in a bloody conflict with Israel that began following Hamas’ 7 October attacks in 2023.
“The disarmament of Hamas is an essential prerequisite for progress in this direction,” it said.
In a separate statement, the Council announced sanctions against four entities and three individuals it described as extremist Israeli settlers and organisations that support them over “serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
The Council said this included “abuse of the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental integrity, the right to property, the right to private and family life, to freedom of religion or belief and the right to education”.
Earlier this week, Israel said its forces had killed the new head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Odeh.
Odeh had reportedly taken over as the head of the Al-Qassam Brigades following the death of the previous leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad earlier this month.
He was targeted in a strike on Gaza City following “months of intelligence monitoring and operational tracking,” Israel’s military said.
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