The European Union adopted further sanctions against Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday, a day after the bloc imposed sanctions against some Israeli settlers.

“The EU decided to expand the scope of the EU’s restrictive measures regarding Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to also target members of the Political Bureau of Hamas (Politburo), who promote, defend, and justify violent actions. The EU also listed 10 individual members of the Politburo,” it said in a statement.

The move marked a shift in EU policy, as senior figures in the politburo — Hamas’s supreme decision-making body — had long operated largely beyond the reach of EU sanctions, which were limited to the movement’s military wing.

“The members of the Politburo play a significant role in the decision-making process and exert considerable influence over the actions of the military wing of Hamas, including its violent actions. Therefore, they bear overall responsibility for those actions,” the EU statement read.

The individuals listed included senior Hamas officials Khaled Mashaal, Nizar Awadallah, Mohammad Nazzal, Husam Badran, Khalil Al-Hayya, Muhammad Darwish, Zaher Jabarin, Abu Khalil Al Quds, Fathi Hamad, and Moussa Abu Mazrouk.

Those named are among Hamas’s most senior surviving leaders, many of whom operate from Qatar.

Mashaal, a former political bureau chief, was reportedly elected as the movement’s overall head during ongoing internal elections, and Al-Hayya, former deputy of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, has led Hamas’s negotiating team in ceasefire and hostage talks since the terror........

© The Times of Israel