The Justice Department announced criminal charges Tuesday against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other militants in connection with the Oct. 7, 2023, rampage in Israel.
"In its attacks over the past three decades, Hamas has murdered or injured thousands of civilians, including dozens of American citizens," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "In the early morning hours of Oct. 7 of last year, Hamas, led by these defendants, committed its most violent, large-scale terrorist attack to date."
"This weekend, we learned that Hamas murdered six more hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli-American. We are investigating Hersh's murder and each and every one of the brutal murders of Americans as acts of terrorism."
The criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death.
"The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video statement. “These actions will not be our last.”
Sinwar was appointed the overall head of Hamas after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and sits atop Israel’s most-wanted list. He is believed to have spent most of the past 10 months living in tunnels under Gaza, and it is unclear how much contact he has with the outside world.
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Other Hamas leaders charged include Haniyeh; Marwan Issa, the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza who helped plan last year's attack; Khaled Mashaal, another Haniyeh deputy and a former leader of the group; Mohammed al-Masri and Ali Baraka.