The US government is taking legal action against Hamas leader Jihia al-Sinwar and other high-ranking members of the Palestinian terrorist organization in connection with the massacre on October 7, 2023 in Israel. The US Department of Justice published prosecution documents on Tuesday (local time) that had already been submitted earlier this year and had previously been kept under seal. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the recent killing of six Israeli hostages. The situation in the Middle East is on the agenda of the UN Security Council in New York this Wednesday.
Sinwar and the other defendants are accused of terrorism, conspiracy to commit murder and evading sanctions, among other things. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video message released by his ministry that the charges were directed against Sinwar and other high-ranking Hamas members because they financed and directed a decades-long campaign to kill American citizens and endanger US security. “In its attacks over the past three decades, Hamas has murdered or injured thousands of civilians, including dozens of American citizens.” These actions would not be the last of his country’s actions against Hamas.
Hamas atrocities unacceptable
“The atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7 are unacceptable, and the Justice Department will not rest until Hamas is held accountable for its campaign of terror, death, and destruction,” Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department’s national security officer, was quoted as saying. The Hamas massacre, in which more than 40 American citizens were also murdered, is just the latest act of cruelty committed by Hamas, the statement added.
After the killing of Hamas foreign chief Ismail Haniya in Tehran at the end of July, the Islamist terror group appointed Sinwar as its new leader. His whereabouts are unknown – it is suspected that he is hiding in the organization’s extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas leader is considered the mastermind of the terrorist attack on October 7. Around 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were abducted into the Gaza Strip. The unprecedented massacre triggered the war: Israel began massive attacks across the entire coastal strip. Since then, according to Palestinian sources, there have been more than 40,000 deaths and more than 92,400 injured. The health authority controlled by Hamas does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in the figures, which are difficult to verify independently.
Demonstrations for hostage deal
On Tuesday evening, thousands of people across Israel demonstrated again for an agreement that would allow a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the 101 hostages remaining there. At the demonstrations, relatives of the hostages accused Prime Minister Netanyahu. He had “torpedoed an agreement again and again,” said the daughter of one hostage, according to Israeli media reports. Other demonstrators carried signs saying that the blood of the hostages was on the hands of the government.
Opposition politician Benny Gantz criticized Netanyahu in a press conference. He accused the head of government of repeatedly standing in the way of progress in talks on an agreement to release the hostages. Netanyahu is primarily focused on his political survival, Gantz said. “We must bring the hostages back – even at a very high price,” he stressed. He accused Netanyahu of lying to the public about his alleged willingness to bring the hostages back.
USA still sees hope for hostage agreement
The US government still sees hope for a deal to release hostages from Hamas and once again contradicted Netanyahu in the debate. An agreement is possible, “we believe that we are close enough, that the gaps are narrow enough that it could happen,” said the communications director of the National Security Council, John Kirby. US President Joe Biden is personally involved in the efforts.
Referring to Biden’s recent criticism that Netanyahu is not doing enough to reach a deal, Kirby said that reaching an agreement requires a willingness to compromise and leadership from everyone. “I would like to leave it at that.”
Indirect negotiations have been going on for months between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar and Egypt mediating alongside the US, in order to achieve a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. However, the talks do not seem to be making any progress.
Emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after death of hostages
The situation in the Middle East and the recent killing of six Israeli hostages are on the agenda of the UN Security Council in New York this Wednesday. Israeli ambassador Danny Danon had called for consultations by the most powerful body of the United Nations in a letter. The Security Council must demand the “immediate and unconditional” release of all hostages, Danon wrote on X. Council member Algeria also requested a meeting, according to diplomats, with a view to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
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