US Sanctions Hamas Financing Network, Seizes $2M in Crypto
The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a member of Hamas's military wing, two France-based individuals, and two affiliated entities for their role in a multi-year financing network that moved over $2 million to Hamas through purported charities and cryptocurrency channels.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designations, saying the action exposed a financing architecture that used deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency to raise and transfer funds to Hamas.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, 'Terrorist organisations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations.'
The Treasury Department noted that the action was part of a broader operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to dismantle several Hamas fundraising ventures, including those active inside the US.
The designated individuals include Gaza-based Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a battalion deputy in Hamas's military wing, and France-based Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, who operated purported charities to raise funds for Hamas.