The United States today imposed economic sanctions on financial backers of Hamas, including a “bogus charity”, a year after the Palestinian Islamist group attacked Israel, the US Treasury Department announced today.

A Hamas official who has settled in Italy is specifically targeted by these sanctions, as is the association he founded. The Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinianese says it raises money for the Palestinian people, but is accused by Washington of using the money it raises to fund the organization.

“Hamas has taken advantage of the suffering in Gaza to solicit funds through fake charities that falsely claim to be helping civilians in Gaza,” the US Treasury Department said.

According to Washington, as of early 2024, Hamas was reportedly receiving up to $10 million a month from these donations, and “Hamas views Europe as a key source of fundraising and has maintained a representation across the continent for many years.” , in part to raise funds through bogus charity projects”.

Two other Hamas officials, one based in Germany, the other in Austria, are also targeted. All are, according to Washington, “significant international financial supporters of Hamas.”

A financial institution controlled by Hamas in Gaza is also the target of sanctions by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac), which freezes its assets and properties in the US.

A long-time supporter of Hamas and nine of his businesses are also targeted for sanctions,” the ministry said.

“These actors play an important role in raising money for Hamas, often under the guise of charity projects, which finance the organization’s terrorist activities,” he explained.

“Publicly identifying a bogus charity is an action that reduces risk to the voluntary sector and helps protect legitimate humanitarian organizations’ access to funding services,” Deputy Finance Minister Wally Antigemo said in the statement.

The October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,206 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, and includes hostages who died or were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the Israeli military launched a fierce operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying Hamas, which has ruled the Palestinian enclave since 2007. At least 41,909 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians, according to the figures. of the Health Ministry of the Hamas government.