On Friday, the European Union (EU) announced the imposition of asset freezes and visa bans on several firms and individuals accused of financially supporting the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas. This move marks the second round of EU sanctions against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad following their October 7 attack on Israel.
To date, the EU has blacklisted a total of 12 individuals and three entities linked to these militant groups. The latest sanctions target three front companies used by key financier Hamza Abdelbasit to channel funds to Hamas, including the Spanish real estate firm Al Zawaya Group and two firms based in Sudan. Additionally, the sanctions affect the head of Hamas’ foreign investment activities, a money changer facilitating transfers from Iran, and the official responsible for the group’s Charitable Institutions Association.
The EU has also imposed sanctions on Ali Morshed Shirazi, a senior official in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps overseeing Tehran’s connections with Palestinian groups in Lebanon. Top Hamas official Maher Rebhi Obeid, who directs Hamas‘ terrorist operations in the West Bank, is also included in the sanctions list.
Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel led to the deaths of 1,195 people, predominantly civilians, as reported by AFP based on Israeli data. The militants took hostages, with 116 still in Gaza, although the Israeli army states that 42 hostages have died.
In retaliation, Israel launched a significant military campaign in Gaza, a Hamas stronghold, resulting in at least 37,765 deaths, mostly civilians, according to health ministry data from Hamas-run Gaza.
EU diplomats have indicated that following the sanctions on Hamas, the bloc should now implement additional measures targeting violent Israeli extremists in the West Bank. In April, the EU imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers and two groups over violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, highlighting the EU’s ongoing struggle for a unified stance on the Gaza conflict.
