The Biden Administration has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information that could dismantle the economic foundations sustaining Hamas, which is currently at war with Israel.
The State Department said Friday that its Rewards for Justice Program is targeting key figures within the organization's financial network, offering monetary incentives for details that could significantly impact the group's operations.
Hamas-led fighters from Gaza on October 7 launched a surprise attack in Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 240 were injured. Israel's air, ground and sea assault on Hamas and its infrastructure in Gaza that followed has killed more than 22,400 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the territory's Health Ministry, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
The initiative zeroes in on individuals with important roles in Hamas' financial activities, including Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Khair, a Sudan-based financier with connections to Al Qaeda, and other operatives active in Turkey.
Khair, known as Hamza, is at the center of the network, according to the U.S. State Department. Hamza has been instrumental in managing Hamas' financial assets and facilitating fund transfers to the group, including nearly $20 million directly to senior Hamas financial officer Mahir Jawad Yunis Salah. His ties extend beyond Hamas, connecting him to Al Qaeda.
In Turkey, Amer Kamal Sharif Alshawa, Ahmed Sadu Jahleb, and Walid Mohammed Mustafa Jadallah play roles in Hamas' investment network, the State Department said. Alshawa, as CEO of Trend GYO, and his colleagues, Jahleb and Jadallah, have been deeply involved in coordinating activities and managing investments that fuel Hamas' operations.
Muhammad Ahmad 'Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah, another key figure, has longstanding ties with Iranian entities and has been implicated in transferring large sums to Hamas, including its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
These individuals were designated as specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in October of last year.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Department of State via email for comment.
The Rewards for Justice Program is aiming to disrupt the broader network that sustains Hamas, which includes targeting any source of revenue, major donors, financial facilitators, and financial institutions that facilitate transactions for the militant Islamist group.
The program also focuses on businesses or investments owned or controlled by Hamas or its financiers, as well as front companies engaged in procuring dual-use technology for Hamas and criminal schemes that financially benefit the organization.
Information leading to the disruption of the networks is highly valued, and the U.S. government said it is assuring confidentiality for anyone coming forward with actionable intelligence.
Since its inception, the Rewards for Justice program has been a tool in combating threats to U.S. national security, paying out over $250 million to informants who have provided valuable information.
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