ALBAWABA - The US Department of Justice announced pressing criminal charges against Hamas leaders for their role in the October 7 attack that the Palestinian group launched.
The case named 6 defendants, 3 of whom were killed recently. The list includes former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in July in Tehran; Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an Israel air strike on Gaza in July; and Marwan Issa, whom Israel said it killed in an attack in March.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement saying that "Those defendants – armed with weapons, political support, and funding from the Government of Iran, and support from (Hezbollah) – have led Hamas’s efforts to destroy the State of Israel and murder civilians in support of that aim,".
The US charges coincide with the White House's announcement that it is working with its counterparts in Qatar and Egypt to draft a new ceasefire and hostage deal in an effort to put an end to the raging Israeli aggression on Gaza.
According to US prosecutors, they filed charges against the six individuals in February, but they chose to keep the case under secrecy in hopes of capturing Haniyeh, Reuters reported citing an official at the US Department of Justice.
Following the assassination of Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, which was linked to Israel, the Justice Department made the decision to go public with the charges, Reuters reported.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 40,819+ people, with more than 94,291+ injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
