Brussels, 20 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The European Union is targeting members and supporters of the Islamist Hamas with new sanctions, it said on Friday.

In a first step, six people were given punitive measures, according to the EU Official Journal.

Among them are Hamas donors from Sudan and Algeria, as well as men who are said to be involved in money laundering and money transfer activities for the organization's benefit.

Musa Dudin is also affected. According to the EU, he is a leading figure in Hamas and a member of the group's politburo.

As a result of the EU's sanction decision, all funds as well as other financial assets and economic resources of those affected in the EU would now have to be frozen.

In addition, they are no longer allowed to enter the EU and are no longer allowed to receive assets and economic resources from the EU.

The EU's actions follow the unprecedented massacre in Israel on October 7th, in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped around 250 people and took them to Gaza.

In addition to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was also involved in the crime. The new sanction's instrument should also be able to be used against this organization in the future.

Islamic Jihad is considered one of the most radical militant groups in the Middle East. Its members also repeatedly fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. However, the organization is considered less powerful than Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip.

Photo: MIA archive