US sanctions 4 individuals, 6 companies over alleged ties to Hamas
The US government claims that Hamas’ Investment Office holds assets worth more than $500 million in several countries.
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The US Department of Treasury
The US Department of Treasury announced Tuesday that it has imposed sanctions on a Hamas finance official, a network of three financial facilitators, and six companies that have allegedly generated revenue for the Palestinian movement.
In a statement, the Department of Treasury said it has “designated a Hamas finance official as well as an expansive network of three Hamas financial facilitators and six companies," which support the group financially through the management of an international investment portfolio.
The US government said it believes that the leadership of Hamas’ Investment Office oversees the network’s operations and holds assets worth more than $500 million, including a number of companies in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates, the statement read.
Abdallah Yusuf Faisal Sabri is a Jordanian national in Kuwait believed to be a Hamas accountant responsible for managing its operational expenses and overseeing the transfer of large sums of money on behalf of the movement since at least 2018, the release claimed.
Ahmed Sharif Abdallah Odeh, Usama Ali, and Hisham Younis Yahia Qafisheh played key roles in transferring financial funds to Hamas, as per the US claims.
The Department of Treasury claimed that Qafisheh was managing the operations in a number of companies controlled by Hamas, including Sudan-based Agrogate Holding and Al Rowad Real Estate Development, Turkey-based Trend GYO, and Anda Company, which was based in Saudi Arabia.
The release also claimed that Hamas’ Investment Office secretly held assets in Algeria-based Sidar Company and UAE-based Itqan Real Estate JSC, both of which transferred money to the movement.
According to the US Department of Treasury statement, the US law requires the blocking of all properties and interests in property of the designated entity that remain under US jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from transacting with it.
It is noteworthy that a couple of days ago, six individuals and eight entities were sanctioned by the US government for their alleged ties to Hezbollah, according to a statement released by the Department of Treasury.
The Department claimed that the latest sanctions are intended to disrupt businesses that are used "to generate revenue for Hezbollah's activities."
This came a few days after the former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker made serious statements, ahead of Lebanon's parliamentary elections, about the US role played in the country by the administration of former US President Donald Trump in order to accelerate the country's financial collapse, as well as the administration's exploitation of the "October 17" movement to distort Hezbollah's image and weaken it along with its allies.
