The European Union imposed sanctions on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Tuesday for his role in planning the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
The EU also added Sinwar to the EU terror list. The Israeli military has been attempting to capture or kill Sinwar since the Oct. 7 attack, but has so far found no success.
‘[Yahya Sinwar] is subject to the freezing of his funds and other financial assets in EU member states. It is also prohibited for EU operators to make funds and economic resources available to him,’ the EU wrote in a statement.
Recent reports have suggested that Israel knows Sinwar’s location, but cannot strike against him because he has surrounded himself with Israeli hostages. The IDF has refused to comment on reports that it knows the terrorist leader’s location, however.
Israel believes there are at least 133 Israeli and foreign hostages being held in Gaza, though it is unclear how many of them remain alive.
Israeli forces took over Sinwar’s private compound in Gaza weeks ago, but said the leader had long since fled the residence.
Sinwar is believed to have fled his home for the relative safety of Hamas’ extensive network of tunnels that lie beneath Gaza’s major cities.
Reports from some hostages who have been released say Sinwar met with them a few days after they were taken from Israel into Gaza.
‘Sinwar was with us three-four days after we got there,’ Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, told the Davar news outlet. ‘I asked him how he wasn’t ashamed, to do such a thing to people who for years support peace? He didn’t answer. He was quiet.’