New Zealand designated the entirety of Hamas as a
“terrorist entity”
on Thursday, February 29 , one of the only Western countries not to have taken this step, affirming that the entire Islamist movement, including its political wing, bore
“responsibility”
for the attacks of October 7.
“The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these terrible terrorist attacks
,” the New Zealand government said.
“The Hamas terrorist attacks in October 2023 were brutal and we unequivocally condemned them
,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement.
New Zealand has considered the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, a terrorist entity since 2010. But the country has until now been reluctant to follow the example of other Western countries in designating it as
"terrorist".
the entire group - which is also a political party and enjoys broad support among Palestinians.
Wellington thus follows Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the European Union, which had already designated the armed but also political wing of Hamas as
“terrorist”
.
Under New Zealand law, this designation freezes all assets of a terrorist entity in the Pacific country and renders any transactions with it.
Christopher Luxon stressed that this designation of
“terrorist entity”
concerned Hamas but
“not the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world”
.
“This designation does not prevent New Zealand from providing humanitarian assistance and future development assistance for the benefit of civilians in Gaza
,” he noted.