A Swiss ban on the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas will come into force on May 15, the federal government said Wednesday following a parliamentary vote at the end of 2024.
The government's political and security committees submitted a motion to ban Hamas in October 2023, after the group's deadly attack on Israel that month, said a government statement, branding the assault an act of terrorism.
The ban is designed to counter the movement's activities and stop people supporting the group, the statement added.
The law makes it easier for the police to use preventive measures such as entry bans or expulsions as well as facilitating the handling of evidence in criminal relevant cases, said the government.
The law will also make it harder for Hamas to use Switzerland's financial network for its funding, strengthening the country's "internal security" and upholding international law, it added.
Israel's war on Hamas in response to the group's unprecedented 2023 attack has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures judged reliable by the United Nations.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the Hamas attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
With AFP
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