New Swiss legislation banning the activities of Hamas and its affiliated organizations will come into effect on May 15.
Reuters writes about this.
The law aims to prevent Switzerland from being used as a safe haven for Palestinian militant groups.
The Swiss parliament approved it last December. The government said that it provides Swiss authorities with “the necessary tools to counter Hamas activities or support for this organization in Switzerland”.
This law provides for the introduction of preventive police measures, such as entry bans or deportations, and also makes it more difficult for Hamas to use Switzerland as a financial center for its activities.
The law was passed in response to a Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. The Palestinians claim that Israelʼs response to the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 52 000 people.
- In mid-January 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas pledged to release 33 Israeli hostages, while Israel pledged to release more than 1 900 Palestinian prisoners and begin withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip. On March 2, Israel agreed to temporarily extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a transitional period after the end of the first phase, as the parties have not yet been able to agree on how to proceed.
- On the night of March 18, Israel resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip after a two-month ceasefire. The strikes killed the de facto prime minister of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip Issam Daalis and four other senior Hamas officials. The IDF officials do not rule out that the bombings will be followed by a new ground operation.
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