UK and US impose sanctions on Hamas leaders

The UK has imposed sanctions on four senior leaders of Hamas and two financiers. The move is an effort to disrupt the groups acts of terror.

One of those sanctioned is Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ political leader in Gaza. It is reported that he was involved in the attacks on Israel last month.

Muhammed Deif, commander of the group’s military arm Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), has also been designated.

Marwan Issa, a senior leader of Hamas and the deputy commander of the IQB; Musa Dudin, a West Bank-based Hamas official who has procured weaponry for the group; Abdelbasit Hamza, a Sudan-based Hamas financier who owned a network of companies that laundered money and traded in currency in order to finance Hamas; and Nabil Chouman, who has channelled funds to Hamas through his Lebanon-based currency exchange are also on the list.

The sanctions include UK travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: "We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt the abhorrent activity of this terrorist organisation, working with the United States and our other allies, making it harder for them to operate and isolating them on the world stage.

"The Palestinian people are victims of Hamas too. We stand in solidarity with them and will continue to support humanitarian pauses to allow significantly more lifesaving aid to reach Gaza."

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