New Zealand announced on Wednesday that it had designated Hamas in its entirety, meaning both its armed wing as well as its political wing, as a terrorist entity.
The announcement was made in a joint statement by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
“The terrorist attacks by Hamas in October 2023 were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them,” Luxon said.
Following these attacks, the statement noted, then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins commissioned advice from officials about designating the entirety of Hamas, which has now been received.
Peters noted that New Zealand has designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist entity since 2010.
"But what happened on 7 October reinforces we can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas. The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks," said the New Zealand Foreign Minister.
A designation under New Zealand legislation freezes any assets of the terrorist entity in New Zealand. It also makes it a criminal offence to carry out property or financial transactions with them or provide material support, the statement noted.
Luxon made clear in the statement that “the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world.”
“This designation targets Hamas, not the provision of private humanitarian support to Palestinian civilians. Similarly, the designation does not stop New Zealand providing humanitarian and future development assistance to benefit civilians in Gaza, nor does it stop us providing consular support to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in the conflict zone,” he added.
At the same time as the announcement about Hamas, New Zealand also announced sanctions on about a dozen "extremist Israeli settlers" accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
"We are imposing travel bans on a number of people known to have committed violent acts. These individuals will not be able to travel to New Zealand," said Peters.
The individuals who were sanctioned were not named in the statement.
The German government implemented a ban on Hamas on November 2. Following the ban, hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany.
The Swiss government announced last week that it would outlaw Hamas in light of its massacre in southern Israel on October 7.
The move will allow for the prohibition of Hamas members from entering Switzerland and the deportation of them from the country.