US charges Hamas leader and others over October 7 attack on Israel

Palestinians inspect the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building in Nuseirat. Pic/AFP

The United States has charged Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar, as well as five other senior Palestinian leaders, with a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, last year. On September 3, the United States Justice Department announced the indictment of six Hamas members on seven counts, including the murder and kidnapping of innocent civilians, including American citizens. The indictments also accuse Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah of providing financial and military assistance to Hamas.

The case, filed in a federal court in New York City, says that the defendants are either dead or still at large. Attorney General Merrick B Garland declared in a video message, "On October 7, Hamas terrorists commanded by these defendants murdered approximately 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians. This weekend, we learnt that Hamas murdered six more people they had kidnapped and held captive for nearly a year, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli American.

Garland further emphasised that these accusations are only one component of the US's attempts to attack Hamas operations, pledging that the steps taken thus far "will not be our last."

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both criticised the killing of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was recently buried in Jerusalem after Israeli soldiers discovered his body in a tunnel in Gaza.

The other Hamas figures indicted include former leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was purportedly assassinated in Tehran; Marwan Issa, deputy leader of the group's armed wing; Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas' diaspora office; and Mohammed Deif and Ali Baraka.

According to US court filings, Hamas, also known as Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya, is a terrorist organisation that was established in 1987 and designated as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) by the United States in 1997.

Yahya Sinwar, 61, is the current Hamas leader and a founder of the al-Qassam Brigades. Mohammed Deif led the al-Qassam Brigades until his reported death in July 2023. Marwan Issa served as deputy commander until his death in March 2023. Khaled Meshaal previously served as chairman of Hamas' Politburo and is now in charge of the organization's diaspora office in Qatar. Ali Baraka has been Hamas' Chief of National Relations Abroad since 2019 and is headquartered in Lebanon.