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DOJ Charges Hamas Leaders for October 7

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 03, 2024 9:15 PM

On Tuesday, almost 11 months since the deadly October 7 attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges from the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other co-conspirators. They're the first criminal charges from American law enforcement, as the Associated Press pointed out, though Garland vowed they won't be the last.

The charges also come as Matt reported late on Saturday night that six of the hostages taken by Hamas had been murdered. They were found in tunnels in Rafah, where the Biden-Harris administration told Israel not to go. Among them included Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen, whose parents had just spoken at the DNC late last month. Garland made reference to the 23-year-old during his remarks about the charges. 

"The Justice Department has charged Yahya Sinwar and other senior leaders of Hamas for financing, directing, and overseeing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the national security of the United States," Garland said. "On October 7th, Hamas terrorists, led by these defendants, murdered nearly 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians," he continued.

Speaking of Goldberg-Polin, Garland reminded that "this weekend, we learned that Hamas murdered an additional six people they had kidnapped and held captive for nearly a year, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23 year old Israeli American."

"We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism. The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last," he also vowed. 

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As the AP also noted about the charges:

The seven-count criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, resulting in death. It also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons, including rockets, and military supplies.

The impact of the case may be mostly symbolic given that Sinwar is believed to be hiding out in tunnels and the Justice Department says three of the six defendants named in the complaint are believed now to be dead. But officials say additional actions are expected as part of a broader effort to target the operations of a militant group that was designated in 1997 by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization and has been linked to a series of deadly attacks on Israel, including suicide bombings.

Sinwar's co-conspirators include Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was assassinated by Israel in Iran in late July; Mohammad Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, the commander in chief of the al-Qassam Brigades, who is deceased; Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, another deceased defendant; Khaled Meshaal, also known as Abu al-Waleed, the head of Hamas’ diaspora office; and Ali Baraka, 57, Hamas' head of National Relations Abroad.

In covering the charges and Garland's remarks for our sister site of RedState, Margaret Clark aptly pointed to other context, which is President Joe Biden's response to the death of Goldberg-Polin and five others. 

"The statement from Garland is one of the most condemnatory and lengthy statements against Hamas made on behalf of the Biden administration. It comes after Biden made a reckless comment on Monday that Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure a deal," she wrote. 

Despite how he's been busy vacationing on a beach, Biden claimed to have worked "tirelessly" to bring the hostages home, and also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing enough. Vice President Kamala Harris had posted on Monday that "Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes" and that "It is long past time for a ceasefire and hostage deal. We need to bring the hostages home and end the suffering in Gaza." 

As Matt covered earlier on Tuesday, Biden even claimed he "spoke" to Goldberg-Polin. This comes after his gaffe at a Jewish American Heritage event at the White House in late May, during which he claimed Goldberg-Polin was in attendance, as we covered at the time. 

Despite such unhelpful and downright troubling remarks on the tragedy, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wasn't very helpful when asked about Netanyahu and the hostages during Tuesday's press briefing. It was the first briefing she gave in weeks. 

Despite how she tried to emphasize that Biden has supposedly been "very clear," Jean-Pierre brushed aside questions from reporters on what Biden meant with his comments about Netanyahu. "I don't have anything more to add," she claimed noting that the president was was answering "a direct question."

She went on to speak about how Hamas' "heinous acts" are "devastating." 

Later in the briefing, Jean-Pierre once again tried to claim that Biden has been "very clear" when she was up against Fox News' Peter Doocy. 

"In the president's public comments, why is he harder on Benjamin Netanyahu than he is on the terrorist leader of Hamas," Doocy aptly asked, prompting that reminder that Biden has supposedly been "very clear." Stumbling over her words, Jean-Pierre also spoke about the deaths of the hostages as "heinous murder."