US, Gulf nations target 'secret' Hamas investment portfolio worth up to $1bn
Business
US said Treasury Department is working with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(Web Desk) - The United States along with some Middle Eastern nations are stepping up efforts to target a “secret” Hamas investment portfolio government officials believe to be worth up to $1 billion.
To target the Hamas investment portfolio, a US official said Tuesday the Treasury Department is working with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, US and Saudi officials convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday in Riyadh of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, which includes the United States and the GCC nations. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in November.
The US official said there has been a redoubling of efforts since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel to use the TFTC, which was created in 2017, to go after Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian-aligned militant groups, including by sharing relevant, timely and actionable information.
Last week, Treasury leveled sanctions on individuals that officials say are managing assets in a “secret” Hamas investment portfolio likely valued at between $400 million and $1 billion, according to a US official. The official added that the portfolio is generating significant amounts of revenue for Hamas.
Treasury has said the global portfolio of investments includes companies operating “under the guise of legitimate businesses” in Sudan, Algeria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and other nations.
“We cannot tolerate a world in which Hamas and other terrorist organizations’ fundraisers live and operate with impunity, abusing the financial system, to sustain their terror.” Brian Nelson, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said during prepared remarks at the emergency TFTC meeting.
