New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Lexon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Wednesday officially designated Hamas as a terrorist entity.
Peters noted that Wellington has defined the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2010, “but after the October 7 attack, it is no longer possible to distinguish between the military and the political wing of Hamas. The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these terrible terrorist attacks.”
In their joint statement, the New Zealand prime minister and foreign minister announced sanctions to be imposed on the terrorist organization, including freezing Hamas assets in the country and a ban on “providing it with support”.
The sanctions also make it a criminal offence to carry out property or financial transactions with Hamas or provide it with material support.
“New Zealand wants to be clear that the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world,” Luxon said.
“This designation targets Hamas, not the provision of private humanitarian support to Palestinian civilians. Similarly, the designation does not stop New Zealand providing humanitarian and future development assistance to benefit civilians in Gaza, nor does it stop us providing consular support to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in the conflict zone.”
Peters added that New Zealand remains “gravely concerned about the impact of this conflict on civilians and will continue to call for an end to the violence and an urgent resumption of the Middle East Peace Process. A lasting solution to the conflict will only be achieved by peaceful means,” he said.
