U.S. Targets Alleged Hamas Fundraising Network in U.S. and France
On Oct. 2, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three people and two charities based in France accused of financing Hamas, as six suspects were detained in the United States and France. The Guardian
Treasury announced the action in a press release titled "Treasury Dismantles Major Hamas Financing Network." Three suspects were detained in the U.S. Three more were detained in France.
The sanctioned individuals were named as Saleem Alzaq, Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid. The sanctioned groups were named as Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, both based in France.
Sanctions in this case mean a financial freeze. The designations block any U.S. property belonging to those named, and that property must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, the Treasury office that enforces sanctions.
Alzaq, 45, was accused of belonging to Hamas's military wing in Gaza. The Justice Department described him as a Hamas member in the Gaza Strip and a battalion deputy in the group's armed wing. He was indicted on charges including conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a U.S. charge that covers help such as money, training or resources to a listed terrorist group.
Barika and Oualid, residents of France, were described as running charities that said they raised money for humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza. Investigators alleged the network used those charities as fronts, along with cryptocurrency channels, to move more than $2 million to Hamas.
Treasury officials said the three sanctioned individuals collected more than $2 million for Hamas over six years starting in 2020. Treasury said $1.5 million of that total was raised after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The three men arrested in the U.S. were identified as Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami, residents of Covington, Louisiana, and Raed Yousef of Lutz, Florida. They were accused of contributing tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas. If convicted, they could face up to 80 years in prison.
The broader context here is what this case shows about efforts to stop terrorist financing. The case combined OFAC blocking orders with criminal charges and cross-border arrests in one operation. The alleged mix of charity fundraising and crypto transfers creates overlapping challenges for nonprofit oversight, tracing digital money and legal cooperation between countries. The next questions for lawyers will be evidentiary and jurisdictional — how prosecutors connect specific donations to Hamas, and how U.S. and French cases divide custody, evidence and any seized funds.
