US sanctions Gaza flotilla organizers and ‘Hamas-linked networks’

The United States sanctioned four people linked to a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Tuesday, accusing them of supporting Hamas. The move came as Israeli naval forces intercepted vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had sailed from Marmaris, Turkey, the previous day. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the mission a bid to undermine American diplomatic progress in the region.

Who did the U.S. sanction over the Gaza flotilla?

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four individuals: Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin; Belgium-based Mohammed Khatib; and Spain-based Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz and Jaldia Abubakra Aueda. All four were accused of links to the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, a group Washington says operates as a front for Hamas.

What is the Global Sumud Flotilla and who organizes it?

The Global Sumud Flotilla is part of a broader international activist and humanitarian coalition that organizes civilian boats to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza and challenge Israel's naval blockade. The flotilla that departed Turkey last week consisted of more than 40 civilian vessels carrying hundreds of activists. Israeli naval forces intercepted at least 41 of those boats in international waters.

Bessent described the mission as a "ludicrous attempt" to undermine Trump's diplomatic efforts. The U.S. State Department separately called the flotilla a "baseless, counterproductive stunt" and urged strict legal consequences for those involved.

What is the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad?

The PCPA is an organization that Washington accuses of being directed by Hamas to fund and back flotilla operations. Some of the sanctioned individuals were also accused of ties to the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, which both the U.S. and Israel designate as a front for armed groups. Israel's foreign ministry accused Abu Keshek of being a leading PCPA figure, a claim an Israeli rights group that represented him in court denied, arguing he had resigned from the organization more than a year ago. Abu Keshek had previously been detained by Israeli forces after being seized from a flotilla off the coast of Greece, and was deported on May 10.

Which Hamas-linked figures were also sanctioned?

Alongside the flotilla-related designations, the U.S. sanctioned several individuals and entities accused of directly supporting Hamas. These included cleric Marwan Abu Ras and the Palestinian Scholars Association, which Washington says he leads and uses to align religious discourse in Gaza with Hamas ideology. Three individuals accused of being operatives of Hamas or HASM, an Egypt-based group described by Washington as a violent offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, were also designated.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said those sanctioned were "enablers" that Hamas uses to sustain its position in Gaza, finance operations, and carry out violence beyond its borders.

What is the humanitarian situation in Gaza?

Despite a ceasefire, Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued and the territory faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations. More than 770 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, according to Gaza's health ministry. The overall death toll from Israel's war on Gaza, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, stands at more than 72,000, according to the same ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable. The Hamas attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.