US Sanctions Donation Network Over Alleged Hamas Funding

The US Treasury Department has added three people and two charities to its sanctions list over alleged ties to a network that it says diverted donations raised for humanitarian aid to Hamas and used cryptocurrency transfers.

According to a Treasury statement reported by CoinDesk, the sanctions target two France-based individuals, two charities, and a member of Hamas’s military wing. The department said the network raised more than $2 million between 2020 and 2026, including $1.5 million after the October 7, 2023, attack.

From aid donations to crypto transfers

The US Treasury Department alleges that France-based Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid diverted money they raised for humanitarian aid to Hamas. The two are alleged to have sent cryptocurrency worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a deputy battalion commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza.

The figure of more than $2 million in the statement refers to the network’s total donations; the allegation concerning cryptocurrency transfers relates to a portion worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Who is covered by the sanctions?

The decision requires the blocking of the listed individuals’ and organizations’ property within US jurisdiction and generally prohibits US persons from conducting transactions with them. The restrictions also cover companies in which one or more sanctioned parties directly or indirectly hold a total of 50% or more ownership.

Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate significant transactions on behalf of the designated parties may also face the risk of secondary sanctions. As a result, the decision’s impact is not limited to the individuals and organizations named on the list.