Trump Administration Set to Enforce Sanctions on Hamas for Using Human Shields

The Trump administration is preparing to enact a new wave of sanctions targeting Hamas for its use of Gazan civilians as human shields, invoking a powerful law passed in 2018 but left unenforced by the Biden administration. The law mandates sanctions against terror groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad that exploit civilian populations to shield military operations, a tactic widely condemned as a war crime under international law.

Although President Joe Biden signed a 2024 legislative update strengthening the law requiring a Pentagon report and expanding its reach his administration never issued related sanctions, drawing bipartisan criticism. Now, under renewed leadership, the Treasury and State Departments have pledged to use “every tool available” to hold Hamas and its affiliates accountable.

A Treasury spokesperson said, “We are pleased to be reversing course in order to keep Americans and our allies safe... Hamas and other terrorists will face the full force of U.S. law.”

The sanctions will allow the Trump administration to target any Hamas figure involved in the use of human shields, potentially seizing property and freezing assets, while expanding financial penalties already in place. This move is part of a broader “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran and its terror proxies.

The issue came to the forefront during the confirmation hearing for Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who committed in writing to enforce the human shield law if confirmed. “I will be fully committed to supporting the enforcement of sanctions... for the terrorist group’s use of human shields,” Huckabee stated.

Senator Ted Cruz, who authored the original legislation, criticized the Biden administration for its failure to enforce the law. “Imposing such sanctions would make clear that the U.S. government does not tolerate the use of human shields,” Cruz said. “The reason they didn’t is because they were committed to undermining our Israeli allies.”

Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Israel, has long used civilians, including children, as shields for military infrastructure launching rockets from hospitals, schools, and densely populated residential areas.

With Hamas reportedly struggling to fund its fighters and seizing humanitarian aid to sell for profit, further sanctions could prove devastating to its ability to sustain operations. U.S. officials indicated that these sanctions will be part of a layered strategy to financially strangle the group and isolate it globally.

As the world continues to witness Hamas’s brutality, these measures send a clear message: using human lives as shields for terror will not be tolerated and will be punished accordingly.

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