New Zealand designates entirety of Hamas as a terror group, citing Oct. 7 atrocities

By AFP 29 February 2024, 4:12 am

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Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists are seen on their way to cross the Israel-Gaza border fence from Khan Younis during the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023. (Said Khatib/ AFP/ File)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand becomes one of the last Western countries to designate all of Hamas as a “terrorist entity,” saying the attacks of October 7 had shattered the notion its political and military wings could be separated.

“The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” the government says, announcing a move that spells a freeze on Hamas assets in New Zealand and a ban on providing it with “material support.”