The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned three individuals and two charities, Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, for allegedly transferring over $2 million to Hamas. The scheme involved using sham charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels to bypass detection.
The sanctioned individuals include Saleem al-Zaq, a member of the Hamas military wing, along with France-based fundraisers Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid. The Department of Justice has unsealed charges against al-Zaq and confirmed six arrests related to the operation.
According to investigators, the network collected donations in France through traditional banking before converting funds into digital assets. Al-Zaq reportedly requested cryptocurrency transfers starting in December 2021 to obscure the origin and destination of the money, moving away from services like Western Union.
The network demonstrated adaptability by switching crypto exchanges when questioned about the source of funds. Blockchain analysis by Chainalysis linked the network to addresses previously associated with Hamas-related seizures. Prosecutors state that the group raised approximately $1.75 million through December 2025, with at least $626,000 originating from US donors.
