US terror probe targets Hamas backers Iran and Qatar, says report

The US Justice Department has been conducting interviews with survivors and families affected by Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel to build a case against the militant group and its financial supporters, according to Bloomberg.

The report, citing people familiar with the investigation, also says that former hostages and families of US citizens murdered abroad have sat down with prosecutors and FBI agents.

Some have reportedly traveled from Israel and provided videos and text messages to help the authorities build a timeline of the attack and to identify those who carried out the kidnappings.

Citing people familiar with the inquiry, Bloomberg reports that although part of the US probe is looking at acts of terrorism, a broader focus is tackling the financial networks that have propped up Hamas.

This will see prosecutors from US Attorneys’ offices in New York, Washington and the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section to investigate any support from countries like Iran and Qatar, which are among the primary financial backers of the terrorist organization.

The inquiry will also reportedly look at whether financing touched US financial institutions or assets.

Last year, Hamas gunmen launched a deadly assault across Gaza's border into Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and the firing of thousands of rockets. The victims included children, the elderly, and 364 young attendees of a music festival. Additionally, Hamas abducted over 250 individuals, holding them hostage in Gaza.

The BBC and the Guardian have reported that they have accessed evidence showing instances of rape and sexual assaults during the Hamas attacks. A UN report in March found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Hamas committed sexual violence “in multiple locations” during the attack.

Officials in Tehran have stated that they received no prior warning of the attack carried out by their proxy, with US intelligence indicating that senior Iranian government officials were taken by surprise by the assault. However, almost immediately after the attack, government backed celebrations took place in Tehran and officials and state media have been praising Hamas and pledging continued support.

In October 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian security officials helped plan the attack on Israel and gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut. It also reported later that month that Hamas fighters trained in Iran before the attack.

Easter this month, more than 100 victims and relatives of victims of the Hamas attack sued Iran, Syria and North Korea for $4 billion, accusing the countries of providing Hamas support.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, by the Anti-Defamation League is the largest case against foreign countries in connection with the attack, and the first backed by a Jewish organization, the ADL said in a press release.