US Treasury Sanctions Six Gaza-Based Aid Groups Over Alleged Hamas Links

The US Treasury announced on Wednesday that it has imposed sanctions on six Palestinian aid organisations operating in Gaza, accusing them of forming part of a “covert support network” for Hamas through its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.

The organisations named in the announcement are Waed Society, Al-Nur, Qawafil, Al-Falah, Merciful Hands and Al-Salameh. In its statement, the Treasury said it was acting through its Office of Foreign Assets Control, noting that “Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking action against Hamas’s covert links to nonprofit organizations”.

According to the Treasury, members of Hamas’s internal security forces are “formally assigned to work in these so-called charities, specifically the Waed Society and Al-Salameh”. It further alleged that Merciful Hands, Al-Nur and Al-Falah “have directly transferred money to the Hamas military wing”, while Qawafil was accused of completing “projects that are intended to benefit Hamas”.

Publicly available websites and Facebook pages linked to the organisations show initiatives aimed at assisting amputees injured during repeated wars on Gaza, along with advocacy efforts supporting Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Merciful Hands and Al-Salameh are involved in providing medical assistance for severe war-related injuries, while Qawafil focuses on distributing food and medicine. Al-Falah runs community support programmes and training courses designed to develop technical skills. Waed Society and Al-Nur are involved in awareness-raising campaigns and advocacy for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

All six groups operate in Gaza, where Hamas has governed since 1997. Hamas itself was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the United States in October 1997.

In its statement, the Treasury said: “Hamas’s insidious practice of operating behind civilian organizations endangers Palestinians and undermines efforts to build a lasting and prosperous peace. By exposing organizations with secret ties to Hamas, OFAC is strengthening the international community’s ability to support legitimate Palestinian interests.”

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley added: “The Trump Administration will not look the other way while Hamas leadership and enablers exploit the financial system to fund terrorist operations.”

In addition to the six Gaza-based organisations, the Treasury also sanctioned The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which it described as the coordinator of flotillas that have sailed toward Gaza in attempts to challenge Israel’s nearly two-decade blockade of the territory. The Treasury characterised the PCPA as “a front organization for Hamas [that] operates in accordance with Hamas directives”, citing a 2018 letter from the late Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh that described the group as a useful instrument for Hamas’s international outreach. The PCPA’s founder, Zaher Khaled Hassan Birawi, who is based in the United Kingdom, was also designated under the sanctions.

The Trump administration stressed that it does not “sanction persons for their engagement in activities subject to US constitutional protection, such as protected speech or religious practice or for their religious beliefs”, adding that “members of the Palestinian diaspora have a right to gather and advocate for their legitimate political concerns”. It argued, however, that “it is Hamas, through their insidious strategy of hiding behind civilians while using terrorism to attempt to achieve political aims, both in Gaza and abroad, that puts innocent lives at risk and undermines international efforts to build a lasting peace and a prosperous future for all Palestinians”.

As a result of the designations, any assets belonging to the sanctioned organisations or individuals that fall under US jurisdiction are now frozen, and they are barred from using the US banking system. This also renders payment cards such as Visa and Mastercard unusable. Furthermore, US residents are prohibited from conducting any transactions with, or on behalf of, the designated entities.

Several hours after the sanctions were announced, the Qassam Brigades released a statement that did not address the US measures. Instead, it condemned Israel over the killing of three Palestinian photojournalists earlier in the day. “We reiterate our call to the mediators and guarantor states, foremost among them the US administration, to take immediate action to stop the deliberate and systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement by the fascist occupation government and to compel it to fully implement its obligations,” the Qassam Brigades said.

By fLEXI tEAM