U.S. authorities have announced a coordinated international operation targeting what they describe as a multimillion-dollar Hamas financing network that allegedly used charitable organizations and cryptocurrency to move money to the U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said Friday that it sanctioned Hamas operative Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, along with French nationals Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid and two France-based organizations accused of serving as fundraising fronts. According to Treasury, the network moved more than $2 million to Hamas between 2020 and 2026.
Treasury officials said al-Zaq, who is based in Gaza and is described as a member and battalion deputy in Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, oversaw the financial network while also maintaining ties to Hamas’s media apparatus. Investigators allege that he promoted fundraising campaigns that presented themselves as humanitarian efforts benefiting civilians in Gaza, while the funds were ultimately directed to Hamas.
The Justice Department said al-Zaq had collected more than $1.7 million through purported charitable campaigns beginning in approximately January 2020. Authorities allege that individuals in several countries helped collect and transfer the money, including through cryptocurrency transactions intended to obscure the movement of funds.
Treasury identified Barika and Oualid as operators of two France-based organizations, Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux. Officials allege that the organizations solicited donations under the stated purpose of providing humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, but that money was subsequently transferred to al-Zaq and Hamas.
The department said approximately $1.5 million of the more than $2 million raised by the network was collected after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The sanctions block property and financial interests in the United States belonging to the designated individuals and entities and generally prohibit U.S. persons from conducting transactions with them.
The operation also resulted in criminal actions in the United States. The Justice Department announced the unsealing of an indictment against al-Zaq and the arrests of Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami and Raed Yousef. Three additional associates of al-Zaq were arrested in France as part of the coordinated investigation.
Yousef, a 56-year-old resident of Lutz, Florida, is accused of providing nearly $50,000 to the alleged Hamas financing network. Omar and Abdel Adhami, both Louisiana residents, are accused of contributing approximately $11,000 and $94,000, respectively, according to federal prosecutors.
The FBI, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Treasury Department, the New York Police Department and French authorities participated in the broader investigation. U.S. officials said the operation reflects an effort to disrupt Hamas’s international financial infrastructure and prevent charitable fundraising mechanisms from being used to support terrorism.
Al-Zaq was not reported to be in U.S. custody as of the announcement and is believed to be in Gaza. The criminal charges and allegations against all defendants remain subject to court proceedings, and an indictment is not a finding of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Credit: The Times of Israel
Subscribe to the JFN Website and to the JFN WhatsApp Channel
