US unveils third round of Hamas sanctions

WASHINGTON — The United States in conjunction with the United Kingdom on Tuesday announced a third round of sanctions on Hamas since October 7, again targeting the group's Iranian backers.

The sanctions target "key Hamas officials and the mechanisms by which Iran provides support to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad", another militant group operating in the Gaza Strip, a statement from the US Treasury Department said.

Tuesday's actions mark another increase of US sanctions since the October 7 surprise attacks that saw Hamas fighters surge through the heavily militarised Gaza border .

Those targeted by the sanctions include Palestinian Islamic Jihad's representative to Iran, Nasser Abu Sharif, as well as a Lebanon-based money exchange, Nabil Chouman & Co, that allegedly handles transfers between Hamas and Tehran.

According to the Treasury, Hamas's global asset holdings are estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"The United States will continue to work with our partners, including the UK, to deny Hamas the ability to raise and use funds to carry out its atrocities," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.