April 13, 2024 at 10:45AM
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Hamas official, Hudhayfa Samir ‘Abdallah al-Kahlut, for his involvement in cyber influence operations and his role in the military wing. Two others, William Abu Shanab and Bara’a Hasan Farhat, were sanctioned for their involvement in manufacturing UAVs for Hamas. The European Union also imposed sanctions on several groups for terrorist attacks targeting Israel.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
– The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against an official associated with Hamas, Hudhayfa Samir ‘Abdallah al-Kahlut, also known as Abu Ubaida, for his involvement in cyber influence operations.
– Al-Kahlut leads the cyber influence department of al-Qassam Brigades and was involved in procuring servers and domains in Iran to host the official al-Qassam Brigades website.
– Two other individuals, William Abu Shanab and Bara’a Hasan Farhat, were named for their role in manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by Hamas for terrorist operations.
– The European Union also imposed sanctions against Al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, and Nukhba Force for their “brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks” targeting Israel.
– Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson emphasized disrupting Hamas’s ability to conduct further attacks, including through cyber warfare and the production of UAVs.
– This development followed the U.S. government’s sanctions on six Iranian officials associated with attacking critical infrastructure entities in the U.S. and other countries.
Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to highlight or any additional information you need.