The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated a member of Hamas's military wing, two France-based individuals and two affiliated entities accused of providing critical financing to Hamas, the department said Friday.
According to Treasury, the designations expose a multi-year financing architecture that moved more than $2 million to Hamas through deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels, showing the group's ability to adapt its fundraising to evade detection.
"Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Treasury will continue to identify, isolate, and impose consequences on those who provide Hamas with the financial lifelines it needs to survive."
OFAC designated Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a Gaza-based battalion deputy in the Hamas military wing who oversees a financial network that used money services businesses and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer significant funds to the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades. He also served as a photographer in the Hamas media office and attended official Hamas events near senior officials.
Also designated were Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, who operate from France running purported charities ostensibly raising money for humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians. Treasury said they in fact partnered with al-Zaq to raise and transfer money directly to him, which he funneled to Hamas. From 2020 to 2026, the three collected more than $2 million for Hamas, of which $1.5 million was collected after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Barika and Oualid sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to al-Zaq, who advertised their fundraising accounts on his own social media.
Barika jointly established France-based Association Baraka with al-Zaq, and Oualid established France-based Ensemble C Mieux, both used to solicit donations sent to al-Zaq for transfer to Hamas.
The action aligns with a multi-jurisdictional FBI-led operation to dismantle several Hamas fundraising ventures, including those active inside the United States, with partners including the New York Police Department. The designations were issued under Executive Order 13224, as amended by E.O. 13886. All property and interests in property of the designated persons in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.