Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Tuesday that the Justice Department has charged six senior leaders of Hamas with terrorism, conspiracy to commit murder, and sanctions evasion.
According to a DOJ press release, the individuals charged are Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad Al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal, and Ali Baraka. “The defendants charged in the complaint are all senior leaders of Hamas who have orchestrated, overseen, and supported Hamas’s decades-long campaign of terrorism, including the October 7 Hamas Massacres,” the statement read.
Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the chairman of Hamas’s Politburo (the organization’s political wing) from 2017 until his reported death around July 31, was one of those charged. He was also previously the deputy chairman of the Politburo and the leader of Hamas in Gaza. Yahya Sinwar, known as Abu Ibrahim, currently leads Hamas and was the group’s leader in Gaza from around 2017. He is also recognized as one of the founders of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
Mohammad Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif and al Khalid al-Deif, was the commander in chief of the al-Qassam Brigades from about 2002 until his reported death around July 13. Marwan Issa, known as Abu Baraa, served as deputy commander of the al-Qassam Brigades from around 2007 until his reported death around March 10.
Khaled Meshaal, also known as Abu al-Waleed, chaired Hamas’ Politburo from approximately 2004 to 2017 and currently heads Hamas’ diaspora office, managing the group’s official presence outside Gaza and the West Bank. Ali Baraka has led Hamas’ National Relations Abroad since around 2019 and was previously Hamas’ representative in Lebanon.
Garland emphasized that these charges are part of a broader effort to dismantle Hamas’ operations: “The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last. The Justice Department has a long memory. We will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans and those who illegally provide them with material support for the rest of their lives.”
Garland added, “The Justice Department has charged Yahya Sinwar and other senior leaders of Hamas for financing, directing, and overseeing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the national security of the United States.”
He also highlighted the October 7 attack led by Hamas: “On October 7th, Hamas terrorists, led by these defendants, murdered nearly 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians. This weekend, we learned that Hamas murdered an additional six people they had kidnapped and held captive for nearly a year, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli American. We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism.”
This is a breaking story, stay tuned for updates.