The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on October 2 designated Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander in Hamas’s military wing, along with two France-based individuals and two affiliated entities for their roles in a multi-year financing scheme.
According to the Treasury, the network collected more than $2 million for Hamas between 2020 and 2026, including $1.5 million after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, operating purported charities in France, sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to al-Zaq, who then directed funds to Hamas.
Coordinated Government Action
The designations form part of a broader operation involving the Department of Justice and other agencies, which included arrests and charges related to soliciting and transferring funds for Hamas. The action highlights how the group has adapted fundraising methods, including deceptive charitable fronts and digital asset channels, to evade detection.
Sanctions block any assets of the designated parties under U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them. The Treasury emphasized that terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on such facilitators and fraudulent schemes to sustain operations.
Context on Crypto Use
While the full $2 million was not described as moving exclusively via cryptocurrency, the designations specifically note the use of crypto transfers in the network. This action aligns with ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt terrorist financing through digital assets alongside traditional channels.
