By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-10-13

The number of nations that have designated Hamas a terrorist organization is increasing following the Palestinian militant group's multi-pronged and bloody attack on Israel from Gaza.

The United States and European Union already consider Hamas a terrorist organization because of its previous suicide and rocket attacks on Israel -- which also considers Hamas to be a terrorist group.

Dozens more, including Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, have given Hamas a terrorist designation, although some, including New Zealand and Paraguay, censure only its military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

After the large-scale attack on Saturday (October 7), carried out by land, air and sea, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy condemned the militant group in a joint statement.

"All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people," they said. "But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed unwavering US support for Israel in its war on Hamas during a visit Thursday but said the Palestinians also have "legitimate aspirations" not represented by the militant group.

"Anyone who wants peace and justice must condemn Hamas' reign of terror," Blinken said.

"We know Hamas doesn't represent the Palestinian people, or their legitimate aspirations to live with equal measures of security, freedom, justice, opportunity and dignity."

Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took about 150 hostages in their surprise onslaught, including at the Supernova music festival in the Negev desert, where 270 revelers were gunned down or burned in their cars.

Dozens of foreigners -- from the United States, Thailand, France, Nepal, Argentina, Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belarus, Canada, China, Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Australia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Chile, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Columbia, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Tanzania -- were killed, injured or taken hostage during the attack.

At least 15 of the hostages have been killed since their abduction.

International censure

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, nations moved to censure Hamas.

Berlin said it will ban Hamas activities and organizations linked to the group in Germany.

"The federal interior ministry will ban Hamas from operating in Germany," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a Thursday speech to parliament.

"An association like Samidoun, whose members celebrate the most brutal acts of terror on the open street, will be banned in Germany," he added.

Samidoun, which identifies as a Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, posted photos on Instagram on Sunday of pro-Palestinian activists distributing sweets in Berlin in celebration of Saturday's Hamas attack in Israel, Reuters reported.

Separately, German federal prosecutors on Tuesday opened an investigation into "unidentified members of the radical Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas," a spokeswoman said.

The probe is over suspicions "of belonging to a foreign terrorist group, hostage-taking and murder," she said.

Switzerland on Wednesday said its Middle East Task Force, set up in the wake of Saturday's surprise assault on Israel, will be charged with looking at the legal routes for reclassifying Hamas as a terrorist organization.

"Faced with this situation, Switzerland must be able to act effectively and in a concerted manner. The Federal Council is of the opinion that Hamas should be classified as a terrorist organization," it said, but did not set out a timetable.

'Urgent accountability'

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday said Hamas fighters took "evil to another level."

"In encountering ISIS I felt as if we were staring evil in the eye -- it was truly evil," he said after talks with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant.

"And what we've seen from Hamas, it takes that evil to another level."

Austin underlined that there is "never any justification for terrorism and that's especially true after this rampage by Hamas."

Other nations, including France, have moved to classify the attacks in the strongest terms.

The bloody attacks against Israel by Hamas militants are "similar" to crimes against humanity, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Wednesday.

"The legal qualification for these crimes will be given at the appropriate time, but it can be considered that they are similar to such crimes," she told France Info radio.

"Words fail me to describe the abomination which accompanied these terrorist attacks, people chased from their homes, executions, violations of human dignity, of mortal remains," the minister said.

"We have to condemn these atrocities, the inhuman behavior of those who committed such atrocities."

"War crimes" and "crimes against humanity" were both defined in the 1998 Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court.

A "crime against humanity" is defined as "a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population" including "murder" and "extermination" as well as "enslavement" and "deportation or forcible transfer."

Dozens of United Nations rights experts on Thursday condemned Hamas's "horrific crimes" and said Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip "amounts to collective punishment."

"We strongly condemn the horrific crimes committed by Hamas, the deliberate and widespread killing and hostage-taking of innocent civilians, including older persons and children," the experts said.

"These actions constitute heinous violations of international law and international crimes, for which there must be urgent accountability," they added.