U.S. Treasury Imposes Sanctions on Hamas Members and Financial Facilitators
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the imposition of sanctions on ten key members, operatives, and financial facilitators of the Hamas terrorist group. The sanctions target individuals in Gaza, as well as in Sudan, Türkiye, Algeria, and Qatar. The action aims to disrupt Hamas’s sources of revenue and is part of a larger effort by the United States to combat terrorism and terrorist financing in the region.
Among those sanctioned are members managing assets in Hamas’s secret investment portfolio, a Qatar-based financial facilitator with close ties to the Iranian regime, a key Hamas commander, and a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange and its operator. These designations are a result of close coordination with regional partners and allies.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen emphasized the United States’ commitment to targeting Hamas’s financiers and facilitators in response to their recent attacks on Israeli civilians. She stated, “We will continue to take all steps necessary to deny Hamas terrorists the ability to raise and use funds to carry out atrocities and terrorize the people of Israel.”
This action builds on previous designations of officials and companies involved in managing Hamas’s secret international investment portfolio. Hamas’s global portfolio of investments generates significant revenue through its assets, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, with companies operating in Sudan, Algeria, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. These companies have operated under the guise of legitimate businesses but have been found to be controlled by Hamas.
The individuals designated today include Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin, a West Bank-based member of Hamas’s Political Bureau and Investment Office official; Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, a Sudan-based Hamas financier; Amer Kamal Sharif Alshawa, Ahmed Sadu Jahleb, Aiman Ahmad Al-Duwaik, and Walid Mohammed Mustafa Jadallah, Hamas operatives in Türkiye and Algeria; Muhammad Ahmad ‘Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah, a longtime Hamas operative based in Qatar; Ayman Nofal, commander of military relations for Hamas; and Ahmed MM Alaqad, operator of the Gaza-based virtual currency exchange Buy Cash.
These individuals and entities have been designated under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters. Hamas, along with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State since October 1997.
OFAC’s announcement highlights the importance of disrupting Hamas’s financing networks and encourages members of the public to provide tips related to Hamas fundraising. Information on Hamas’s online fundraising campaigns, account numbers, and virtual currency wallet addresses can help in identifying new investigative links for law enforcement and disrupting planned attacks.
The United States remains committed to combating terrorism and will continue to work with its allies and partners to track, freeze, and seize any Hamas-related assets in their jurisdictions.