U.S. Treasury Sanctions Target Cross-Border Hamas Financing Ring
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has implemented sanctions targeting a network of individuals and charitable organizations involved in funneling more than $2 million to the Islamist militant group Hamas. The punitive measures target a multi-year operation that allegedly masked financial support for the militant organization through purported humanitarian donations and digital asset transfers.
The sanctions explicitly designate a member of Hamas’s military wing, two individuals based in France, and two associated charities. According to the Treasury Department, the entities operated a sophisticated six-year fundraising scheme designed to gather financial resources internationally and route them directly to Hamas, an organization governed by counterterrorism restrictions in several global jurisdictions that has held administrative control over the Gaza Strip since 2007.
Charity Fronts and Cryptocurrency Pipelines
U.S. officials identified France-based fundraisers Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid as central actors in the illicit pipeline. The Treasury Department alleged that Barika and Oualid solicited funds across France under the pretense of supporting humanitarian causes, only to divert the collected capital directly to Hamas.
The financial network reportedly amassed more than $2 million between 2020 and 2026, experiencing a massive surge in inflows following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Treasury officials noted that roughly $1.5 million of the total sum was gathered in the period following the October 7 assault. While the agency clarified that the entirety of the $2 million did not move exclusively through digital asset channels, it stated that Barika and Oualid transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars using cryptocurrency.
Direct Links to Al-Qassam Brigades Leadership
According to the Treasury’s findings, the cryptocurrency transfers organized by Barika and Oualid were sent directly to Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq. Al-Zaq serves as a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander within the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the designated military wing of Hamas.
The enforcement action blocks any assets held by the sanctioned individuals and charities under U.S. jurisdiction and broadly prohibits American persons or entities from conducting transactions with the designated parties, effectively cutting them off from the mainstream financial ecosystem.
Why This Matters
The Treasury’s enforcement action highlights ongoing international efforts to disrupt alternative financing channels utilized by militant groups, particularly the convergence of charitable fronts and modern digital financial tools. By pinpointing facilitators in European jurisdictions such as France and tracing virtual currency rails directly to Gaza-based military commanders, international regulators aim to close regulatory loopholes and impede non-state actors from leveraging global humanitarian sympathy to finance armed conflict.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the primary individuals targeted by the sanctions?
The sanctions designate Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, who operated fundraising efforts from France, alongside Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander in Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades.
How much money was transferred, and how was it raised?
The Treasury Department reported that the network raised more than $2 million between 2020 and 2026, presenting the solicitations as humanitarian donations. Of this total, approximately $1.5 million was collected following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Was all of the money moved through cryptocurrency?
No. The Treasury Department explicitly clarified that the entire $2 million did not move through cryptocurrency, though it confirmed that hundreds of thousands of dollars were transferred to al-Zaq via digital assets.
