US, UK slap sanctions on individuals, companies who fundraised for Hamas
Gaza Now media site founder Mustafa Ayash is sanctioned alongside Aozma Sultana and two of his companies, after they raised thousands of dollars for terror group
The US and Britain said on Wednesday that they jointly sanctioned two individuals and three entities for providing financial support to a media network that they said supports the Palestinian Hamas terrorist group and promotes terrorism.
The UK Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday that Aozma Sultana and Mustafa Ayash were sanctioned under domestic counter-terrorism powers and both would be subject to a full asset freeze for supporting Gaza Now, a media network.
Britain banned Hamas in 2021 and under the Terrorism Act, anyone expressing support for the group, flying its flag, or arranging meetings for the organization would be in breach of the law.
The US Treasury Department added that Ayash was Gaza Now’s founder, Sultana was the director of Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Limited, and all three companies were sanctioned as well.
According to the US Treasury Department, Gaza Now began an online fundraising campaign for Hamas after October 7 when the terrorist organization launched its unprecedented attack on Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 253 to Gaza.
Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Limited gave thousands of dollars to Gaza Now, the statement added, and advertised the network as a fundraising partner for Hamas.
As such, the US Treasury said that all property and interests belonging to Ayash and Sultana or the three companies that are in the US or being held by American individuals would be immediately frozen.
“The UK and its partners are committed to cutting off funding sources to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and any others supporting terrorist activity that prevents sustainable peace in the Middle East,” said Charlotte Vere, a junior UK treasury minister.
“Treasury remains committed to degrading Hamas’s ability to finance its terrorist activities, including through online fundraising campaigns that seek to funnel money directly to the group,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States, in close coordination with our British partners, will continue to leverage our tools to disrupt Hamas’s ability to facilitate further attacks.”
This is the fourth US and British coordinated sanctions action related to Hamas fundraising efforts since October 7.
