U.S. unseals terrorism charges against Hamas leadership

The United States Justice Department leveled charges against six senior Hamas leaders for their “central roles in planning, supporting, and perpetrating the terrorist atrocities that Hamas committed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023,” the DOJ announced Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the charges “the first effort by American law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds” of the Oct. 7 attack.
The charges — which include terrorism, murder conspiracy and sanctions-evasion — were filed in February but were sealed until Tuesday.
The unsealed complaint names Yahya Sinwar the leader of Hamas, as a defendant, alongside five others.
Below are the six Hamas leaders who were charged, according to The New York Times:
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video posted to social media that the charges are “just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last.”
The unsealing of the charges comes after the bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were recovered by Israel’s military Saturday.
National security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. is continuing to work toward a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
“The killing over the weekend just underscores the sense of urgency that we have to have in order to get it to closure,” Kirby said during a teleconference.
Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing war, including Hamas combatants.
Wednesday marked the eighth day of Israel’s military operations in the occupied West Bank, which Israeli officials say is a move to target militants in the Jenin, Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camps.
According to The Associated Press, Israel’s military is carrying out the “deadliest operation in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began.”