The US Justice Department (DOJ) has unsealed terrorism charges against Hamas leaders, including political chief Yahya Sinwar and five other senior members. These charges stem from a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group on October 7, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 kidnapped.
The FBI brought charges against these Hamas leaders in February; however, the complaint was sealed until recently. The US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, announced that Sinwar and others were complicit in “planning, supporting, and perpetrating the terrorist atrocities.” They have been charged with providing funds and material support for terrorism, as well as conspiring to carry out bombings and use weapons of mass destruction.
According to the DOJ, Hamas and its leadership have dedicated themselves to eradicating Israel and murdering, maiming, and brutalizing anyone who stands in their way. More than 40 American citizens were killed on October 7, with eight more either abducted or unaccounted for. Apart from Sinwar, the DOJ has charged Hamas diaspora leader Khaled Meshaal, who is residing in Qatar, and foreign affairs chief Ali Baraka, who is based in Lebanon.
Three of the Hamas officials wanted by the DOJ have since been killed. Former political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July. Israel claimed that commanders Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa were killed during IDF airstrikes in Gaza. However, Hamas has refused to confirm their deaths.
Reuters reported that the DOJ initially hoped to capture Haniyeh alive but ultimately decided to unseal the charges following news of his assassination. In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked the judges to issue arrest warrants for Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Deif, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes charges.
Last year, South Africa filed a case in the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict. Israel dismissed the accusations as “absurd.