The Department of Justice on Friday announced charges against a Gaza-based Hamas commander as well as the arrests of three U.S.-based affiliates for allegedly funnelling money from the U.S. to Hamas, under the guise of charitable humanitarian fundraising. 

Three others were also arrested in France as part of the investigation.

The lynchpin of the alleged conspiracy is Gaza-based Hamas official Saleem Alzaq, a member of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and one of its propaganda offices, who promotes the terror group’s fighters on various social media platforms. According to the indictment, Alzaq operated an international fundraising network for Hamas, which he promoted through social media campaigns under the guise of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.

Posting largely in Arabic, Alzaq purported to be a “Media personality and social activist. Report all the news of Palestine and the events of Gaza in particular. I collect donations for the poor and orphans in Gaza.”

He raised funds on behalf of a group that claimed to “provide food or cash to civilians in Gaza who are in need” and “cook meals which we distribute to the refugees,” as well as providing clothing, rent, healthcare, wells and other communal services.

The indictment alleges that he has raised close to $2 million since 2020, including $626,000 from American donors. Alzaq remains at large.

Alzaq, communicating with one of his American co-conspirators, said in messages that Hamas fighters were present at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which Israel raided as a Hamas command center. He and the American associate frequently spoke in code, referring to funds for Hamas as “bread.”

Alzaq also complained that U.S. social media platforms had removed his accounts, on which he openly praised Hamas, saying the platforms were targeting “activists in Gaza that publish the news of Gaza.”

The three U.S.-based men who were arrested, Abdel Adhami and Omar Adhami, brothers in Louisiana, and Raed Yousef, in Florida, allegedly contributed in excess of $155,000 total to the Hamas financing network.

Abdel Adhami also allegedly fundraised from others in the U.S. in support of Hamas using his own social media. Adhami expressed a wish to be able to participate directly in Hamas’ terrorist activities.

The network was first detected when Alzaq made contact with an undercover NYPD officer, claiming to be soliciting funds for children in Gaza, and connected him with Adhami.

Alzaq boasted in communications with the NYPD officer of having a broad network of U.S.-based associates and supporters, including Palestinian and American young people.

“My friends are in New York, so many of them,” Alzaq said in a December 2025 voice message, according to an FBI affidavit, “and all over the United States.” Alzaq said the supporters in New York “are all from Palestine, from the West Bank and from Jerusalem, and they are American, all of them; they are young people and they send me [money] all the time.”

Adhami claimed to the NYPD officer that the funds would be transferred to a charitable organization, to which Alzaq had access.

The network utilized various methods, including cryptocurrency, Western Union transfers, PayPal, Zelle, Cashapp, Venmo and cash to solicit and collect money from American donors, and communicated on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram.

The individuals arrested in France allegedly assisted in collecting and transferring the money raised for Hamas.

“Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “For decades, members of Hamas have raised funding to carry out brutal terrorist attacks. Under the leadership of President Trump, the Department of Justice will continue pursuing terrorists who kill Americans, dismantling terrorist finance networks, and delivering justice for the families of victims.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said that the FBI will “never forget the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 — and we will never stop our efforts to cut off funding to Hamas terrorists.”

“These subjects allegedly engaged in a conspiracy that extended beyond national borders to funnel money to Hamas and fuel violent attacks, using cryptocurrency, to try to hide their criminal activity,” he continued.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited the NYPD with uncovering the network.

“The NYPD’s counterterrorism work knows no borders,” Tisch said.  “Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funneled to Hamas. … This is the kind of extraordinary counterterrorism work the NYPD does every day to disrupt threats before they reach New Yorkers, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping us dismantle this network.”