Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar put on EU terrorist sanctions list

The EU has added Hamas political chief Yahya Sinwar to its terrorist sanctions list in response to the group’s 7 October attacks on Israel.

The decision by the 27-member bloc on Tuesday means Sinwar is now subject to the freezing of his funds and other financial assets in EU member states. EU operators are also prohibited from making funds and economic resources available to him.

Reacting to the decision, Hamas accused the EU of bias.

Taher al-Nono, media adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, called for an end to the EU’s “double-standard policy”.

“These are ridiculous and silly sanctions because everyone knows that Yahya Sinwar has no assets or money neither in Palestine nor outside it,” he told Reuters.

“Such a decision has no value against Hamas, but the idea of imposing sanctions on the leaders of the resistance and Hamas, which is resisting the [Israeli] occupation as granted by international law, shows bias to the occupation.”

The October Hamas attacks killed almost 1,200 Israelis and more than 200 people were taken hostage.

Israel retaliated by blockading the Gaza strip and carrying out a military operation that has seen whole neighbourhoods being wiped out in the enclave. More than 23,000 Palestinians, a lot of them children, have been killed since the start of the Israeli military operations.