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, obtained by Axios, 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.
The goal of the bill is to impose sanctions on the Popular Resistance Committees that 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 to Axios.
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.
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“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.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Kustoff, McCaul, Sherman, and Schneider for comment.