US sanctions Hamas-linked network accused of moving over USD 2 million through sham charities, crypto

ANI | Updated: Oct 03, 2026 04:00 IST

Washington DC [US], October 3 (ANI): The United States has imposed sanctions on a member of Hamas's military wing, two France-based individuals and two affiliated entities over what the US Department of the Treasury described as a multi-year financing network that moved more than USD 2 million to Hamas through purported charities and cryptocurrency channels.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designations on Friday (local time), saying that the action exposed a financing architecture that used deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency to raise and transfer funds to Hamas.
“Terrorist organisations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Treasury will continue to identify, isolate, and impose consequences on those who provide Hamas with the financial lifelines it needs to survive,” he added.
According to the Treasury Department, the action was part of a broader, multi-jurisdictional operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to dismantle several Hamas fundraising ventures, including those active inside the US.
OFAC said it was working with the FBI and local law enforcement partners, including the New York Police Department, to expose and disrupt what it described as Hamas's exploitation of the charitable sector and dismantle key nodes of its financial infrastructure.
The US Treasury designated Gaza-based Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, described as a battalion deputy in Hamas's military wing, for allegedly overseeing a financial network that used money services businesses and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer funds to the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades.
According to OFAC, al-Zaq also served as a photographer in the Hamas media office and attended official Hamas events where he was in close proximity to senior Hamas officials.
The Treasury had also designated France-based Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, whom it accused of operating purported charities to raise funds ostensibly for humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.