By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department has charged six Hamas leaders with orchestrating the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, accusing them of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, supporting a terrorist organization, and using bombs and weapons of mass destruction.
Among those named in the charges unsealed Tuesday are Yahya Sinwar, the chief leader and mastermind of the attack, along with Khaled Meshaal, Ali Baraka, and Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammad Al-Masri, and Marwan Issa, three of whom have been declared or reported dead.
Haniyeh, Hamas’ political chief, was assassinated in Tehran in July. Issa, the third-ranking Hamas leader, was reportedly killed in March. Al-Masri, known as Mohammad Deif and a key planner of the attack, was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike in June.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the charges reflect the financing and direction of a decades-long campaign aimed at killing Americans and threatening U.S. security. He emphasized that the Oct. 7 assault was the group’s most violent and large-scale terrorist attack, involving the murder of entire families and the weaponization of sexual violence against women.
“On October 7th, Hamas terrorists, led by these defendants, murdered nearly 1200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians,” Garland said in a news release. “This weekend, we learned that Hamas murdered an additional six people they had kidnapped and held captive for nearly a year, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23 year old Israeli American. We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism. The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Hamas leaders engaged in a “decades-long campaign of mass violence and terror — including on October 7th. “
“On that horrible day, Hamas terrorists viciously massacred nearly 1,200 innocent men, women, and children, including over 40 Americans, kidnapped hundreds more, and used sexual violence as a weapon of brutality,” she added. “Since that horrific day, we have worked to investigate and hold accountable those responsible, and we will not rest until all those who kidnapped or murdered Americans are brought to justice. Our thoughts continue to be with the families of all the victims of this barbaric terrorist attack.”
