Six senior Hamas officials, including the militant group’s political leader, Yahya Sinwar, have been indicted on terrorism and other charges in connection with the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.
Other members of the group charged in the indictment include Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka, who are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to murder a US citizen, and other crimes.
In a press release, the Department of Justice identified the defendants as senior Hamas officials who played key roles in overseeing decades of terrorist operations, including the October 7 attacks.
“On that day, Hamas, led by the defendants, carried out its most violent and widespread attack to date,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a video statement.
Sinwar, who has led Hamas in the Gaza Strip since around 2017, became the organization’s political leader after Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran earlier this month.
Before his death, Haniyeh served as chairman of Hamas’s political bureau and led the group in the Gaza Strip, according to the Justice Department.
Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, was a commander in Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, the agency said. The Israeli military said earlier this month that it had killed the military leader in an airstrike that killed at least 90 people.
The State Department said Issa was deputy commander of the Qassam Brigades until his death was reported in March. The BBC reported that Issa was also killed in an Israeli airstrike, citing White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
The ministry said Meshaal, 68, heads Hamas’ overseas offices and is responsible for the group’s presence outside Gaza and the West Bank, and that he is based in Qatar.
According to the indictment, Baraka, 57, heads Hamas’ foreign relations and is responsible for the group’s foreign affairs.
The complaint points to the defendants’ public statements in support of the October 7 Hamas attack, including Haniyeh’s speech announcing the attack and an October 8 media interview by Baraka in which he described Hamas’ social and civic activities as a ploy to appear focused on governing Gaza.
“All the while, Hamas was secretly preparing for this massive attack,” the indictment quoted him as telling Russian television.
According to Israeli officials, roughly 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Officials said dozens more were still being held captive.
An IDF spokesman said the bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg Pollin, were recovered from a tunnel beneath Rafah on Sunday.
In Gaza, local officials say more than 40,000 people have been killed since Israel launched an offensive in response to Hamas attacks.