US Charges Hamas Leaders Over October 7 Attacks, Sparks Questions About Gaza Mediation

Six defendants, three of whom have been killed in Israeli attacks, are named in the US case against Hamas officials.

Yahya Sinwar, the newly appointed head of Hamas, greets his supporters upon arriving at a meeting in Gaza City in 2022. [Adel Hana/AP Photo]

The US Justice Department has announced criminal charges against top Hamas leaders for their roles in the October 7 attacks in southern Israel, a move some view as largely symbolic against the Palestinian organization.

The complaint, unsealed on Tuesday, names six defendants, three of whom are deceased. The deceased include former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated in Tehran in July; Mohammed Deif, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in July; and Marwan Issa, who Israel claimed was killed in an attack in March.

The living defendants are Hamas’s new leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be in Gaza; Khaled Meshaal, based in Doha and heading the group's diaspora office; and Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official based in Lebanon.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that these defendants, supported by weapons, political backing, and funding from the Iranian government and Hezbollah, have led efforts to destroy the State of Israel and target civilians. According to Reuters, US prosecutors had initially sealed the complaint in February, hoping to capture Haniyeh. After Haniyeh's assassination, attributed to Israel, the Justice Department decided to release the charges.