Japan Govt Adds 8, including Senior Hamas Members, to Sanction List; Aiming ‘To Counter the Funding of Terrorism’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:25 JST, March 6, 2024

Japan on Tuesday imposed sanctions, including asset freezing, on an additional eight individuals affiliated with the Islamist group Hamas that effectively controls the Gaza Strip, the government announced on the day.

Of the eight sanctioned individuals, five are senior Hamas members involved in fund procurement, while the remaining three oversee money transfers.

It is the government’s fourth round of sanctions against Hamas since the group attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at a press conference on Tuesday said, “We’ll appropriately consider the necessity of additional [sanctions] against individuals connected with Hamas to counter the funding of terrorism.”