New Delhi

The United States on Tuesday (Sept 3) announced charges against the top Hamas leaders over their purported roles in planning, supporting and perpetrating the deadly Oct 7 attack on Israel in which the militants killed about 1200 people and took about 250 hostages. 

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Washington D.C., however, has not charged any Israeli entity for violation of human rights in Gaza where Israel's purported retaliatory state of war in response to October 7 attacks has killed over 40,000 people and facilitated the return of the Polio in the blockaded enclave after over 25 years. 

The US announced the charges against Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's chief, and at least five others accused of orchestrating the Oct. 7 attack. 

The United States says about 40 American citizens were killed in the Oct 7 attacks. 

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"As outlined in our complaint, those defendants — armed with weapons, political support, and funding from the Government of Iran, and support from (Hezbollah) — have led Hamas’s efforts to destroy the State of Israel and murder civilians in support of that aim," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. 

The complaint names six defendants, three of whom are deceased. The living defendants are Sinwar, who is believed to be in hiding in Gaza; Khaled Meshaal, who is based in Doha and heads the group's diaspora office; and Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official based in Lebanon.

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The deceased defendants are former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who the group says was assassinated in July in Tehran; military wing chief Mohammed Deif, who Israel says it killed in a July airstrike; and Marwan Issa, a deputy military commander who Israel said it killed in a March strike. 

Iran has accused Israel for Haniyeh's death. However, Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility. 

The US prosecutors brought charges against the six men in February, but kept the complaint under the seal in hopes of capturing Haniyeh, according to a Justice Department official. 

The Justice Department reportedly decided to go public with the charges after Haniyeh's death.

(With inputs from agencies)