“The wild Hamas terrorists won’t win, and there will be consequences,” says Attorney General Pam Bondy.
Attorney General Pam Bondy said the task force will “seek justice in the October 7, 2023 victims, the terrorist attacks in Israel, and fight the ongoing threat posed by Hamas and its affiliates.”
“The wild Hamas terrorists won’t win, and there will be consequences,” Bondy said. “As Attorney General, I had the strict honour of meeting several families of US citizens whose loved ones were invited to Hamas that dark day. This task force strengthens the determination of the department to achieve justice for these families and their loved ones, as we continue to fight anti-Semitism in all forms.”
On October 7, 2023, the attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and an abduction of 251 more by Hamas.
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In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, leading to widespread destruction, migration of most of the region’s population, and deaths of more than 48,000 Palestinians.
The Biden administration received previously unsealed accusations against Hamas leader Yahya Singwar and other senior terrorists in connection with the attack, but Singwar and several others were killed. The new task force will take over these pending cases.
The new task force will focus on prosecuting the directly responsible for the attack that claimed the lives of 47 US citizens and caused the abduction of eight Americans. The task force will target both the direct perpetrators responsible for coordinating the attack and Hamas leadership, seeking to claim and hand over those involved.
The initiative will also investigate individuals and entities who are allegedly providing financial and logistical support to Hamas and its affiliates.
These efforts include tracking terrorism funding and tracking violations of U.S. law regarding material support to terrorist organizations, the Department of Justice said. The task force is further addressing alleged anti-Semitism behavior related to Hamas and related Iran-backed proxies.
“The victims of Hamas’ decades of violent violence campaign against Israel are always supported by the US government, and the department no longer allows Hamas’ illegal assistance on our campus or elsewhere in our homeland,” Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche said. “The anti-Semitism of terrorism, whether here or abroad, is never punished. This task force represents our indomitable commitment to those suffering at the hands of these brutal terrorists.”
The task force will be led by a senior terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice National Security Agency, along with FBI special agents as task force commander and FBI intelligence analysts as assistant task force commander.
The task force coordinates with foreign counterparts through the FBI’s legal attachment office in Israel and embeds the Israeli National Counterterrofinance Bureau to strengthen ongoing investigations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
