Washington, 4 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday unsealed a range of charges, including terrorism, against senior leaders of Palestinian militant organization Hamas in connection with the October 7 massacre.

The complaint had been submitted earlier this year and had previously been kept under seal.

The six senior leaders, all either deceased or at large, are charged with having had a key role in "planning, supporting, and perpetrating the terrorist atrocities that Hamas committed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023," the DoJ said in a statement.

The attack, which triggered the conflict in the Gaza Strip, "was the culmination of Hamas's decades-long campaign of terrorism and violence against Israel and its allies, including American citizens," the DoJ said.

The charged include Yehya al-Sinwar, newly named head of the political bureau of Hamas and previously the organization's leader in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, is considered the mastermind behind the terrorist attack on 7 October.

Also listed is his deputy Mohammed Deif, who according to Israel was killed in a strike in July.

"Yahya Sinwar and the other senior leaders of Hamas are charged today with orchestrating this terrorist organization's decades-long campaign of mass violence and terror — including on October 7th," said US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

"Since that horrific day, we have worked to investigate and hold accountable those responsible, and we will not rest until all those who kidnapped or murdered Americans are brought to justice."

"We are investigating ... each and every one of Hamas's brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism," said US Attorney General Merrick Garland. "The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas's operations. These actions will not be our last."

Hamas, founded in 1987, has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US since 1997.

"From its inception, Hamas's stated purpose has been to create an Islamic Palestinian state throughout Israel by eliminating the State of Israel through violent holy war, or jihad," according to court documents.

Hamas's "ability to carry out acts of terrorism... has been fueled in part by the Government of Iran," the DoJ statement said.

"The Justice Department has a long memory. We will pursue the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans - and those who illegally provide them with material support - for the rest of their lives," Garland said.

On October 7, Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations carried out an unprecedented massacre in southern Israel. They killed more than 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage in the Gaza Strip.

According to the US government more than 40 US citizens were among those killed.