The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Friday designated a Gaza-based member of Hamas’ military wing, two individuals based in France, and two affiliated entities for providing financing to Hamas. The designations, issued under an executive order from President Donald Trump, describe a multi-year arrangement that Treasury said moved more than $2 million to the group through charitable fronts and cryptocurrency transfers.
Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, identified by Treasury as a battalion deputy in the Al-Qassam Brigades, oversaw a network that used money services businesses and cryptocurrency wallets to transfer funds to the military wing, according to the department. Treasury also stated that al-Zaq worked as a photographer in the Hamas media office and attended official events near senior officials.
Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, operating from France, ran organizations presented as charities raising money for Gazan civilians. Treasury said the two partnered with al-Zaq to collect and transfer money to him, which he then directed to Hamas. From 2020 through 2026, the three collected more than $2 million, of which $1.5 million was gathered after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Barika and Oualid sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to al-Zaq, who advertised their fundraising accounts on social media, according to the department.
Barika jointly established Association Baraka with al-Zaq as a vehicle for public donations later sent to al-Zaq. Oualid established Ensemble C Mieux for the same purpose. Both organizations and the three individuals were added to the Specially Designated Nationals list.
As a result, property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions involving them.
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“Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to identify, isolate, and impose consequences on those who provide Hamas with the financial lifelines it needs to survive.”
The sanctions align with a separate, multi-jurisdictional investigation led by the FBI, with participation from the New York Police Department and French authorities. The Justice Department announced the same day that it had unsealed an indictment charging al-Zaq and arrested Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami of Louisiana and Raed Yousef of Florida on charges related to soliciting or providing funds for Hamas.
French authorities arrested Barika, Oualid, and Nordine Barika. Prosecutors allege that al-Zaq collected more than $1.7 million since January 2020 through campaigns presented as humanitarian aid, with portions transferred by cryptocurrency and intermediaries.
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