Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, January 15, 2024. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The US Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on Hamas-linked financial networks in Gaza, particularly financial facilitators instrumental in transferring funds, including cryptocurrency to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The sanction list includes the Iraqi private airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO, as well as armed groups operating in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, which have conducted attacks on Israeli, US, and other interests.

The British government announced that both the UK and the US had frozen assets and applied a travel ban to five key figures and an entity related to the leadership and financial networks of Hamas and PIJ. The UK and the US imposed sanctions on an individual named Zuheir Shamlakh, accused of transferring tens of millions of dollars to Hamas since 2019.

EU member countries on Monday reached an agreement in principle to launch a defense mission in the Red Sea.

Following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that the operation aims to safeguard commercial ships in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi forces from Yemen.

The Houthi forces have recently targeted vessels believed to be associated with Israel, as a demonstration of solidarity with people on the Gaza Strip.