Hamas on Thursday condemned as ‘unjust’ a move by the United States to sanction Palestinian associations which Washington accused of having links to the Islamist movement.

The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six non-profit organisations working in the Gaza Strip, which the Treasury Department said ‘claim to provide medical care to Palestinian civilians but in fact support the military wing of Hamas’.

It also announced sanctions on a group of Palestinians involved in civilian flotillas that aim to break Israel’s sea blockade on Gaza to bring in humanitarian aid.

The Treasury Department said the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad has been ‘a main organiser’ of the flotillas and charged that it was ‘clandestinely acting on behalf of Hamas’.

‘We view these decisions as unjust and oppressive,’ Hamas said in a statement, suggesting the sanctions were incited by Israel as a fight against the Palestinian ‘national cause’.

All the organisations were accused of ‘secret ties to Hamas’ in the US Treasury statement.

The sanctions will block any assets the groups have in the United States and criminalise transactions with them.

Hamas, which the US and European Union designate as a terrorist organisation, called on Washington to walk back its decision.