US Puts Hamas Leader on Terrorists List

The US has designated Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, on a terrorist blacklist.

The US State Department labelled Haniyeh a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” a title used to describe leaders of international terror organizations or perpetrators of mass-scale terror attacks.

“Ismail Haniyeh is the leader and President of the Political Bureau of Hamas, which was designated in 1997 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the State Department said in a statement explaining its decision.

After this decision, Haniyeh will not be able to visit the United States or hold assets within it and American citizens are forbidden from making any financial or legal transactions with him.

Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, is already designated a terrorist group by the US, Israel, the EU and UK.

A statement from the group said the decision would “not dissuade us from continuing to hold fast to the option of resisting and expelling the [Israeli] occupation”.