New Zealand has joined the list of Western countries that have designated the entire Hamas organization, including both its political and military wings, as a terrorist entity.
This decision comes in the wake of attacks carried out by the Palestinian movement on October 7th, which, according to New Zealand authorities, obliterated any possibility of distinguishing between Hamas’s political and military branches.
The New Zealand government has declared the movement as a whole responsible for these attacks, describing them as horrific acts of terrorism.
This designation effectively freezes the movement’s assets within New Zealand and prohibits any form of material support to it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the terrorist attacks launched by Hamas in October 2023 were brutal and have been unequivocally condemned by his government.
He emphasized that this designation targets Hamas specifically and does not reflect on the Palestinian people, whether in Gaza or around the world.
Luxon assured that humanitarian aid would continue, and the designation does not prevent New Zealand from providing future humanitarian and developmental assistance to civilians in Gaza.
In response to New Zealand’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization, some New Zealand political figures have called for a similar designation for the Israeli military, citing the months-long bombing campaign in Gaza that resulted in over 30,000 deaths according to the latest tally by the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Although such a move against the Israeli military is highly unlikely, New Zealand has announced sanctions against around ten extremist Israeli settlers accused of committing acts of violence against Palestinians.
