The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned a Hamas military-wing member, two France-based individuals, and two charities in connection with a fundraising network that raised more than $2 million for the militant group between 2020 and 2026.
According to Treasury, the network collected $1.5 million of that total after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The department alleged that Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid raised funds in France under the guise of humanitarian causes, then transferred the money to Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is designated as a terrorist organization in numerous jurisdictions.
Treasury said the pair sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander in Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades. The department did not specify that the entire $2 million moved through cryptocurrency.
The sanctions freeze designated parties' assets under U.S. jurisdiction, generally prohibit Americans from conducting business with them, and expose foreign financial institutions facilitating significant transactions to potential secondary sanctions penalties.
Treasury officials have previously indicated that U.S. authorities view cryptocurrency as one component of wider fundraising and payment networks rather than Hamas's primary funding source. The officials noted that Hamas and other groups continue to rely mainly on conventional finance.
The action follows reports last month that the Al-Qassam Brigades advised donors to avoid sending funds directly from Binance and instead use other cryptocurrency services before moving money to a TRON wallet.
