Two of Hamas’s senior military leaders were placed to the European Union’s terrorist blacklist on Friday, and a direct connection was made between them and the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Brussels announced that it has added Mohammed Deif, the 58-year-old commander general of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, and his deputy Marwan Issa to its list of sanctioned individuals.

It stated that the money and other financial assets of the two people were frozen in EU member states.

Additionally, it is against the law for EU operators to provide them with financial and other resources.

The statement, issued by the European Council, said the listing came in “response to the threat posed by Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.”

On October 7, Hamas fighters broke out of the Palestinian territory of Gaza and launched unprecedented attacks on Israeli troops and civilians.

Around 1,200 Israelis were killed and scores taken hostage.

Israel responded by launching air and artillery strikes against Gaza and a military ground operation hunting for Hamas militants.

Weeks of fighting have left 17,177 people dead in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll.