▲ The U.S. Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on the 2nd local time that it has added two individuals, two entities, and one Hamas operative who have been supporting Hamas financially from France to its sanctions list.
According to OFAC, two individuals operating in France, Fauzi Barika and Amel Oualid, are accused of establishing front charities to raise funds and then transferring them via cryptocurrency to Salim Abdallah Salim Al-Zak, a commander in Hamas' military wing.
OFAC explained that the funds they raised for Hamas over a six-year period from 2020 to this year exceed 2 million dollars (approx. 2.7 billion won), of which 1.5 million dollars was raised after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war.
OFAC stated, "Today's action exposes a fundraising network that funneled more than 2 million dollars to Hamas through deceptive charity organizations and cryptocurrency channels," adding, "It demonstrates how Hamas has continuously adapted its fundraising methods to evade scrutiny."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations," and added, "The Treasury will continue to identify, isolate, and impose costs on those providing financial lifelines to Hamas."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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