UK and US sanction Hamas financiers

The UK and US have announced sanctions for figures in the the financial networks of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Those sanctioned include five key figures and an entity involved in the leadership and financial networks of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

One of those sanctioned is Zuheir Shamlakh, known as Hamas’s ‘main money changer’ since 2019, and a key figure in the group’s shift towards cryptocurrencies. The UK government said that exploited digital currencies and existing systems of informal money transfers to move large sums of money from Iran to Hamas ahead of the 7 October attacks.

The others include Ahmed Sharif Abdallah Odeh, a key operator in Hamas’s financial network who previously ran their international portfolio of companies; Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau in Gaza and the group’s governing Shura Council; Hassan Al-Wardian, a senior leader of Hamas in the Bethlehem/West Bank region; and Jamil Yusuf Ahmad Aliyan, a senior PIJ official and representative based in Gaza.

All are also subject to a travel ban and will not be able to enter the UK.

The sanctions are intended to cut off the flow of funding that supports these terrorist groups, including from Iran.

Foreign secretary David Cameron said: "These sanctions send a clear message to Hamas – the UK and our partners are committed to ensuring there is no hiding place for those financing terrorist activities.

"To reach a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas can no longer be in power and able to threaten Israel. By disrupting the financial networks which sustain Hamas’ operation, including from Iran, these sanctions support that crucial aim."