The United States has recently taken action by imposing sanctions on the online media site Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash for their alleged support of Hamas. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control revealed that following an attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7th, Gaza Now initiated a fundraising campaign in support of the militant organization.
Gaza Now's Arabic channel boasts a substantial following of over 300,000 individuals on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), as well as a significant presence on the encrypted chat platform Telegram.
Additionally targeted in the sanctions are companies Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Ltd., along with their director Aozma Sultana, who are accused of collaborating on various fundraising initiatives with Gaza Now.
These sanctions were implemented in conjunction with the U.K.’s Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation. Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson emphasized in a statement that the U.S. and its allies are committed to utilizing their resources to disrupt Hamas’ capacity to orchestrate further attacks.
Representatives for Gaza Now and Ayash were not immediately reachable for comment. The sanctions entail restrictions on access to U.S. assets and bank accounts, as well as prohibiting the designated entities from engaging in business transactions with Americans.
