The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a sweeping action against Hamas-linked organizations and individuals operating covertly through charitable and nonprofit entities. The effort aims to disrupt funding channels used by Hamas to support its military operations while protecting legitimate humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
“Hamas continues to show a callous disregard for the welfare of the Palestinian people,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “The Trump Administration will not look the other way while Hamas leadership and enablers exploit the financial system to fund terrorist operations.”
The action targets six Gaza-based organizations that claimed to provide medical and social services but were found to support Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. These groups — Waed Society Gaza, Al-Nur Society Gaza, Qawafil Society Gaza, Al-Falah Society Gaza, Merciful Hands Gaza, and Al-Salameh Society Gaza — were documented as receiving directives and funding directly from Hamas, including financial transfers to support military activities.
For example, Al-Falah transferred more than $2.5 million to Hamas over a recent three-year period, while Waed Society Gaza and Al-Salameh Society employed members of Hamas’s internal security forces and executed projects on behalf of the group.
Additionally, OFAC designated the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) and a United Kingdom-based PCPA official, Zaher Khaled Hassan Birawi. The PCPA, which presents itself as representing the Palestinian diaspora, has been controlled by Hamas leadership and used to support political and militant operations abroad, including flotillas attempting to access Gaza.
The designations were made pursuant to Executive Order 13224, giving OFAC authority to block property and interests of designated individuals and entities in the U.S. or under U.S. jurisdiction. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting transactions with these entities unless authorized under OFAC licenses. Violations can result in civil or criminal penalties.
OFAC said the designations aim not only to disrupt terrorist financing but also to raise awareness among international donors and the public about fraudulent organizations operating under the guise of humanitarian aid. Legitimate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians may continue under OFAC’s general licenses, which safeguard lawful aid.
“The goal of these sanctions is not to punish but to protect civilians and enable legitimate humanitarian support while weakening the financial networks that empower terrorism,” Hurley said.
OFAC also encouraged individuals to report potential sanctions violations to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which offers incentives for whistleblowers whose information leads to enforcement actions resulting in penalties exceeding $1 million.
This action underscores the administration’s commitment to safeguarding the humanitarian sector and strengthening global efforts to hold Hamas accountable for using charitable organizations to fund terrorism and advance its military and political objectives.