US Treasury sanctions Hamas fundraising network that moved $2 million via crypto

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned two French charities, Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, alongside three individuals for operating a sophisticated fundraising network that funneled over $2 million to Hamas between 2020 and 2026. The network, led by France-based fundraisers Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to Saleem al-Zaq, a Gaza-based Hamas military commander. The Justice Department also unsealed charges against al-Zaq and announced six arrests, revealing that the scheme drew at least $626,000 from U.S. donors.

Sanctioned entities and their roles

• ▪The Office of Foreign Assets Control described Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq as a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander in Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades
• ▪Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid allegedly collected donations in France through Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux by presenting the organizations as humanitarian aid groups supporting civilians in Gaza
• ▪The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two France-based charities and three individuals on October 2, 2026, for allegedly helping to finance Hamas
• ▪The entities sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department are the France-based charities Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, along with individuals Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid, and Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq

Implications of the Treasury sanctions

• ▪U.S. exchanges, custodians, and payment processors must block property in which the parties Treasury sanctioned on October 2 over Hamas fundraising have an interest and report identified assets to the Office of Foreign Assets Control within 10 business days
• ▪The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions apply to any company owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, by one or more of the persons blocked on October 2 over Hamas fundraising

Fundraising totals and cryptocurrency use

• ▪The sanctioned fundraising network led by Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid collected more than $2 million for Hamas between 2020 and 2026, including $1.5 million raised after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel
• ▪The U.S. Treasury Department distinguished the broader $2 million Hamas fundraising total from the specific cryptocurrency transfers by Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, stating that hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent in digital assets

Blockchain analysis of the fundraising network

• ▪Chainalysis identified a counterparty linked to Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq's exchange deposit address that had also sent funds to addresses previously targeted by Israeli seizure orders
• ▪The fundraising network led by Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid allegedly switched cryptocurrency exchanges in May 2023 after a platform questioned a France-based partner regarding the source of the funds
• ▪According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, some of the funds donated to the Hamas fundraising network were pooled in a French bank account before being transferred onward

Criminal charges against Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-zaq

• ▪The U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq and announced six associated arrests
• ▪U.S. prosecutors stated that Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq and his associates raised approximately $1.75 million through December 2025, which included at least $626,000 from donors in the United States

Debatable claims

• ▪Governments should impose stricter oversight on humanitarian charities operating in conflict zones
• ▪US secondary sanctions on foreign banks over Hamas funding are justified
• ▪Blockchain technology is an effective tool against illicit finance
• ▪US sanctions on French charities represent an overreach of American authority