The EU Council has included two members of Hamas on the EU terrorist list in response to the attacks against Israel on October 7 this year.
The two designated persons, Mohammed Deif, general commander of Hamas’s military wing since 2022, and deputy commander Marwan Issa, are subject to the freezing of their funds and financial assets in EU member countries.
In addition, persons and entities in the European Union are prohibited from making funds and economic resources available to persons on the list.
On the morning of October 7, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip carried out a surprise attack where, according to figures collected by Amnesty International, they killed more than 1,200 people and almost 3,500 were injured.
The Hamas military leaders thus join the 13 individuals and 21 groups and entities that make up the EU terrorist list, which is reviewed by the Council periodically, at least every six months.
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the EU established a list of people, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts and subject to restrictive measures, whether related to financial funds or police and judicial cooperation.
This list is independent of the community regime that applies the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, which targets ISIL (Daesh) and Al Qaeda.
However, since September 2016, the EU can also autonomously apply sanctions to the last two and the people and entities that support them.