US Indicts Six Hamas Officials On October 7 Attack On Israel: There Are Yahya Sinwar To The Late Ismail Haniyeh

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. (Source: IRNA)

JAKARTA - The United States announced criminal charges against a number of high-ranking Hamas militant groups on Tuesday over their role in planning, supporting and launching a deadly attack by Palestinian militant groups on southern Israel in October last year.

The charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and at least five others accused them of organizing the October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans.

"As outlined in our complaint, the defendants, armed with weapons, political support, and funding from the Iranian government and support from (Hezbollah), have led Hamas' efforts to destroy the State of Israel and kill civilians to support that cause," Attorney General▁alasan Garland said in a statement. a statement.

The complaint mentions six defendants, three of whom have died. The defendants who are still alive are Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in Gaza; Khaled Meshaal, who is based in Doha and heads the Hamas diaspora office and Ali Baraka, senior Hamas official based in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the deceased defendant consisted of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who the group said was killed in July in Tehran; military winger chief Mohammed Def, who Israel says was killed in July airstrikes and Marwan Issa, a deputy military commander who Israel says was killed in a March attack.

US prosecutors filed charges against the six men in February, but kept the complaint a secret in hopes of arresting Haniyeh, according to a Justice Department official.

Later, the Justice Department decided to announce the charges to the public following Haniyeh's death.