The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on online media site Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash for allegedly supporting Hamas. U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says that after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel — the online entity began a fundraising effort in support of the militant organization.
Quick Read
- U.S. Sanctions on Gaza Now: The United States imposed sanctions on the online media platform Gaza Now and its founder, Mustafa Ayash, for allegedly aiding Hamas.
- Reason for Sanctions: The Treasury Department accuses Gaza Now of initiating a fundraising campaign to support Hamas following the group’s attack on Israel on October 7.
- Social Media Presence: Gaza Now has a significant following, with over 300,000 subscribers on X (formerly Twitter) and a substantial presence on the messaging app Telegram.
- Additional Entities Sanctioned: The sanctions also target Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Ltd., along with their director Aozma Sultana, for purportedly collaborating with Gaza Now in fundraising efforts for Hamas.
- International Cooperation: The sanctions were implemented in conjunction with the United Kingdom’s Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation.
- Official Statement: Brian Nelson, Treasury Under Secretary, emphasized the ongoing commitment of the U.S. and its allies to disrupt Hamas’ operational capabilities through financial measures.
- Impact of Sanctions: The designated individuals and entities are prohibited from accessing any U.S. assets and are barred from conducting transactions with American citizens and businesses.
The Associated Press has the story:
US sanctions online site ‘Gaza Now’ and its founder for allegedly supporting Hamas
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on online media site Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash for allegedly supporting Hamas. U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says that after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel — the online entity began a fundraising effort in support of the militant organization.
Gaza Now’s Arabic channel has more than 300,000 followers on social media channel X, formerly known as Twitter, and a large following on the encrypted chat platform Telegram.
Included in the sanctions are firms Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Ltd., and their director Aozma Sultana, who are alleged to have partnered on multiple fundraising efforts alongside Gaza Now.
The sanctions were imposed in collaboration with the U.K.’s Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation.
Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in a statement that the U.S. and its partners “will continue to leverage our tools to disrupt Hamas’ ability to facilitate further attacks.”
A representative for Gaza Now and Ayash were not immediately available. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent those designated from doing business with Americans.
