In a joint effort, the United States and the United Kingdom announced on Thursday the imposition of full asset freezes on two individuals suspected of providing financial support to Gaza Now, a news agency known for promoting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist groups.
Sultana and Ayash, the individuals targeted by the asset freeze, have had all their funds and economic resources in both the US and the UK frozen. This move prohibits any entity within these countries from providing funds, economic resources, or financial services to them or to any companies or organizations under their ownership or control.
This action marks the second use of the Treasury-led domestic counterterrorism sanctions regime in the UK and is part of ongoing efforts to combat terrorist financing. Last year, similar measures were taken against an art dealer suspected of running an international terrorist financing operation for Hezbollah through the UK’s fine art market.
The US and UK’s collaborative efforts aim to prevent terrorist financing, safeguard their respective financial systems, and ensure that their open economies are not exploited for illicit purposes.
The latest designations complement three previous packages of sanctions imposed on Hamas and its affiliates by the United States, under the UK’s International Counter-Terrorism sanctions regime.
