US, UK impose sanctions on Hamas-aligned fundraising network, US Treasury says

The United States and Britain imposed sanctions on a fund-raising network aligned with the Palestinian group Hamas that carried out an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday. It said in a statement that the punitive measures target two individuals and three entities described as key financial facilitators involved in fundraising for Hamas, which both countries brand a terrorist group.

The United States and Britain imposed sanctions on a fund-raising network aligned with the Palestinian group Hamas that carried out an Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

It said in a statement that the punitive measures target two individuals and three entities described as key financial facilitators involved in fundraising for Hamas, which both countries brand a terrorist group. "Treasury remains committed to degrading Hamas' ability to finance its terrorist activities, including through online fundraising campaigns that seek to funnel money directly to the group," Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in the statement.

"This action is being taken as part of a collaborative effort with the United Kingdom's Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation, which is implementing sanctions on these same targets," the statement said. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri denied any link between the group and the entities and persons listed by the United States and Britain.

"These institutions have no connection with the Hamas movement and the decision is another evidence of the American partnership in the war against the Palestinian people," Abu Zuhri told Reuters. The measures target the Gaza Now organization, which Treasury said had started raising funds online after the Hamas attack. It is the fourth U.S. and British coordinated sanctions action related to Hamas fundraising efforts since Oct 7.

Israel says Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and still hold more than 130 hostages in Gaza. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza, the Hamas-ruled Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday.

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