Gaza Genocide02 October, 20263 min read
U.S. Sanctions Hamas Finance Network, Charges Salim Alzaq and Arrest Omar Adhemi
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
US sanctions target three individuals and two France-based charities for raising $2 million for Hamas. A Hamas military wing member and two fundraisers sanctioned; funds moved via charities and cryptocurrency.
17 outlets told this the same way.
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US sanctions Hamas finance network
The United States announced sanctions targeting a network linked to the Hamas movement, including two France-based organizations, and the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Salim al-Zaq while announcing the arrest of Omar Adhemī, ‘Abd al-Adhemī, and Raed Yūsuf for their ties to collecting and transferring funds for Hamas.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Saleem Alzaq, 45, of Gaza, and associates raised more than $1.7 million for Hamas through purported charitable campaigns beginning in January 2020, with prosecutors alleging that at least $626,000 came from donors based in the United States.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the designations exposed a “sophisticated, multi?year financing architecture” that moved more than $2 million to Hamas through “deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels,” and it said the network raised more than $2 million from 2020 to 2026.
The sanctions also targeted Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, linked to France-based charities, and the U.S. Department of Justice said French authorities arrested three of Alzaq’s alleged associates in a coordinated security operation.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” as the Justice Department stressed the charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
France arrests and indictments
The U.S. Department of Justice said it unsealed indictments against Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami, brothers of Covington, Louisiana, and it said the Justice Department also unsealed indictments against Saleem Alzaq, a resident of Gaza, and Raed Yusuf, of Florida.
The Justice Department said French authorities arrested three of Alzaq’s alleged associates, including Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, and it added that a third person, Nordine Barika, was also detained by French authorities in this case.
The U.S. Treasury Department said Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid “operate from France, where they run supposed charitable organizations that, on the surface, raise money for humanitarian purposes to help Gaza civilians,” and it said the network raised more than 2 million dollars between 2020 and 2026.
The indictment described Alzaq as a deputy in a battalion of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and as someone who worked in the media apparatus of Hamas’ Shujaiyya Brigade and posted propaganda supporting the organization online.
John Eisenberg, assistant U.S. attorney general for national security, said the arrests “disrupted a global financing network that was supplying Hamas with the funds needed to continue its campaign of destroying innocent lives,” while the Justice Department said it would use its capabilities to eradicate terrorism.
War context and stated impact
The U.S. Treasury Department said the network raised more than $2 million from 2020 to 2026, including $1.5 million raised after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The sanctions reporting tied the fundraising to the broader war, saying the October 7, 2023 attack “triggered a devastating military assault by Israel on Gaza” and that more than 70,000 people were killed, according to official figures considered credible by the United Nations.
The U.S. Treasury Department also said the network moved funds through “cryptocurrency channels,” and it described the structure as “advanced, years-long” in a statement that said it moved more than two million dollars to Hamas through deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels.
The reporting also described how prosecutors alleged Alzaq instructed supporters not to mention Hamas when transferring money and told donors using his PayPal accounts not to write phrases including “Free Palestine” or “long live Hamas.”
The Justice Department said the coordinated operation spanned multiple jurisdictions in the United States and across international borders, and it said Alzaq faces charges including conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, while the Adhami brothers and Yousef faced charges including money laundering and passport fraud.