The EU has expanded its sanctions framework against Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to include members of Hamas’s Political Bureau who promote, defend or justify violent actions, and has added 10 people to its list.
The change follows a political agreement among EU foreign ministers reached on 11 May 2026, the Council of the EU informed on Thursday.
The Council said members of Hamas’s Political Bureau — often referred to as the “Politburo”, a senior decision-making body — play a significant role in decision-making and have influence over Hamas’s military wing.
It explained that the 10 newly listed individuals, described as members of the Political Bureau, are being targeted on the basis that they have knowledge of the planning, preparation and execution of violent actions by Hamas and that they defend and justify such actions.
The sanctions under this framework include a travel ban and an asset freeze, including a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to listed people or organisations.
How the sanctions framework has developed
The latest listings bring the total under this EU sanctions framework to 21 individuals and three entities, according to the Council.
A dedicated framework of restrictive measures was established on 19 January 2024 to target individuals or entities that support, facilitate or enable violent actions by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Council said the framework sits alongside existing EU measures against Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad under the bloc’s terrorist list, set out under Common Position 2001/931/CFSP.
In June 2024, the Council added six individuals and three entities under the framework, bringing the total at the time to 12 individuals and three entities.
The sanctions framework was extended in January 2026 for a further year until 20 January 2027, and the latest legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
