US sanctions two France-based charities for allegedly raising money for Hamas

The United States on Friday issued sanctions against three individuals and two France-based charities that it said were part of a network that raised more than $2 million for the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and announced six arrests.

"These designations expose a sophisticated, multi-year financing architecture that moved more than $2 million to Hamas through deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels, demonstrating the organization's persistent ability to adapt its fundraising mechanisms to evade detection," the US Treasury said in a statement.

Those sanctioned include Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, identified as a Hamas member who oversees the financial network and works with the group's media office. The US Justice Department said French authorities had also arrested sanctioned individuals Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, who are linked to the France-based charities Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux. Both charities were also sanctioned in Friday's action. A third person, Nordine Barika, was also arrested by French authorities in the case, the DOJ said.

"Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid operate from France, where they run purported charities ostensibly to raise money for humanitarian purposes to aid Gazan civilians," the US Treasury said.

In the United States, authorities arrested three men for their alleged funding of Hamas through the network, the DOJ said. US authorities said the network had raised more than $2 million from 2020 to 2026, of which $1.5 million was raised after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.