A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is introducing legislation to sanction a group of armed factions in Gaza for their role in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against Israel.
The bill, called the Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act, details the Popular Resistance Committees as the “third-largest terror group in the Gaza strip” after Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Popular Resistance Committees have been able to avoid sanctions from the United States so far, despite the factions’ connection to the top two terrorist groups.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), the bill’s sponsor, is joined by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), David Kustoff (R-TN), and Brad Schneider (D-IL). McCaul’s inclusion on the bill is significant, given his role as chairman of the prominent Foreign Affairs Committee. His support could make GOP leadership more inclined to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote.
“Hamas was not the only terrorist group guilty of atrocities on October 7,” McCaul said in a statement. “This bill updates our sanctions to cover all of the terrorist groups operating in the West Bank and Gaza. The United States and Israel will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder to defend our mutual security, and we will use all available authorities to stop funding and other support going to violent terrorists.”
The bill would designate the Popular Resistance Committees as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, which would create criminal and civil penalties for anyone providing support to the group, including up to 20 years in prison, civil fines, and property forfeitures.
The sanctions, which Schneider said the Popular Resistance Committees have avoided “for too long,” would effectively block the groups and those connected to them from owning property or doing business in the U.S., as well as possessing a U.S. entry visa.
The State Department would also have to issue a report on whether to designate the Popular Resistance Committees and the Lion’s Den militant group as terrorist organizations.
“For far too long, the Popular Resistance Committees have flown under the radar and avoided real consequences for their horrific crimes,” Sherman said in a statement.
In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks waged against Israel, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies released evidence showing how the Popular Resistance Committees participated in the attacks that left nearly 1,200 Israelis dead.
“The time has come to hold this heinous terror group accountable for decades of cowardly attacks against innocent Israelis, Americans, and Palestinians, and apply the full force of U.S. sanctions to cut off the PRC from the global financial system,” Sherman said.
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Kustoff said it is “imperative” that all of the organizations involved in the Oct. 7 attacks are held accountable.
“For years now, the Popular Resistance Committees, the third largest terror group in the Gaza strip, have terrorized innocent Israelis,” Kustoff said. “They are also responsible for previous attacks that killed Americans in the region. I am pleased to join Rep. Sherman to introduce this crucial legislation that will sanction the PRC.”
