The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions targeting individuals and organizations accused of covertly supporting Hamas through nonprofit and advocacy networks operating in Gaza, Europe, and the Middle East.
According to the Treasury Department, the action was carried out by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under Executive Order 13224, which authorizes sanctions against entities and individuals that provide material support to terrorist organizations. Hamas has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State since 2001.
“Hamas continues to show a callous disregard for the welfare of the Palestinian people,” said John K. Hurley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “The Trump Administration will not look the other way while Hamas leadership and enablers exploit the financial system to fund terrorist operations.”
Gaza-Based Organizations Designated
Treasury officials said the action targets six Gaza-based organizations that present themselves as humanitarian charities but are allegedly integrated into Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
According to OFAC, documentary evidence recovered from Hamas offices after October 7, 2023, shows the organizations were “organized by, and integrated into, Hamas’s military wing,” with some receiving direct funding and operational direction from Hamas.
The following organizations were added to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List:
- Waed Captive and Liberators Society (also known as Waed Society Gaza)
- Al-Falah Society Gaza
- Al-Nur Society Gaza
- Al-Salameh Society Gaza
- Merciful Hands Gaza
- Qawafil Society Gaza
Treasury stated that members of Hamas’s internal security forces were formally assigned to work inside some of the organizations and that Hamas fighters were instructed on how to request services and projects from these affiliated groups.
OFAC reported that Al-Falah Society Gaza transferred more than $2.5 million to Hamas over a recent three-year period, while Al-Nur and Merciful Hands were also used to pay Hamas members and support military operations.
International Advocacy Network Targeted
Treasury also designated the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an advocacy organization with operations in Beirut and Istanbul, alleging it is “clandestinely controlled by Hamas” and used to expand Hamas’s political influence abroad.
According to Treasury, Hamas helped establish and fund the organization and used it to organize international flotillas aimed at challenging Israel’s security cordon around Gaza.
The department further designated Zaher Khaled Hassan Birawi, a United Kingdom-based individual identified as a senior PCPA official, for allegedly providing material support to the organization.
Treasury stated that Birawi “is a senior official of the PCPA, a member of its General Secretariat, and one of the founding members of the PCPA.”
Broader Context
Treasury’s action comes amid heightened scrutiny of terrorist financing networks that operate through charitable, advocacy, and financial structures across multiple regions.
The Dallas Express has previously reported on the use of international nonprofit and financial networks by U.S. adversaries to move funds, evade sanctions, and sustain aligned militant groups, including whistleblower-based reporting detailing Iran’s use of foreign partnerships and financial mechanisms to support hostile operations abroad.
Legal and Financial Implications
As a result of the designations, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned individuals and entities within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the designated parties unless authorized by a general or specific license.
Treasury warned that foreign financial institutions could face secondary sanctions for knowingly facilitating significant transactions on behalf of the designated parties.
OFAC emphasized that the sanctions do not target protected speech or legitimate humanitarian activity. “OFAC does not sanction persons for their engagement in activities subject to U.S. constitutional protection, such as protected speech or religious practice or for their religious beliefs,” the department stated.
The Treasury Department said the action is intended to “help reduce the overall terrorist financing risk in the charitable non-profit organization sector” while enabling humanitarian aid to continue under existing general licenses.
