Hamas fundraising scheme nets $1.7m — Gaza man charged, US donors implicated

Federal prosecutors allege over $1.7m was funnelled to Hamas via fake humanitarian campaigns. A Gaza man faces multiple charges; US and French co-conspirators also named.

Fake aid campaigns allegedly channelled over $1.7m to Hamas, prosecutors say

A Gaza man has been charged with running an international fundraising operation that prosecutors allege directed more than $1.7 million to Hamas under the cover of humanitarian aid, CBS News reports. The indictment, unsealed Thursday, names Saleem Alzaq, 45, as a central figure in a scheme that spanned at least five years and drew donors from the United States, France and beyond.

Alzaq has been a Hamas member since at least 2017, according to prosecutors. Campaigns run by Alzaq and his co-conspirators purported to collect food and winter supplies for Palestinians in Gaza between January 2020 and December 2025. Of the more than $1.7 million raised, at least $626,000 came from donors based in the United States, the indictment states.

Two brothers from Louisiana allegedly contributed approximately $105,000 to the network, while a Florida man is alleged to have provided nearly $50,000. Co-conspirators based in France allegedly helped collect and transfer additional funds.

Undercover operation and coded language

Investigators conducted an undercover operation that prosecutors say produced direct evidence Alzaq knew the donations were reaching Hamas. In November 2025, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a New York-based Hamas supporter contacted Alzaq via Snapchat. Alzaq allegedly told the officer he had means to receive money in New York and offered to connect him with local contacts.

The following month, Alzaq allegedly informed the officer that he worked with people who wanted to send money to "the Green" — a term prosecutors identify as a reference to Hamas. He allegedly said he received funds and passed them on to "the Green," but that providing proof would be difficult because Hamas members avoided using identification.

Alzaq also allegedly described a system of coded language for transferring funds, using terms such as "bread," "bakeries," "buy bread" and "give it to the bakeries." Earlier Snapchat messages cited in the indictment show Alzaq apparently used the same terminology with another U.S.-based Hamas supporter. When that supporter asked in January 2024 about money sent to "the bread people," Alzaq allegedly replied that he had "learned the way" and could deliver "whatever you want."

Oct. 7 campaign and donor instructions

The indictment alleges that on the day of Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Alzaq launched a new campaign claiming to raise money for Gazans wounded that day. The campaign ran until approximately 12 October 2023, prosecutors said.

Alzaq also allegedly advised donors to avoid language that could trigger account suspensions. In October 2024, he allegedly instructed followers not to write "Free Palestine" or "long live Hamas" on donations to his PayPal accounts.

Charges and maximum sentences

Alzaq faces four counts: conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, conspiring to commit money laundering, and conspiring to defraud the United States. The first three charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison upon conviction; the fourth carries a maximum of five years. Alzaq has not been arrested and prosecutors say he remained in Gaza throughout the alleged offences.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement: "Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funnelled to Hamas. Saleem Alzaq, a leader in Hamas' military arm responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, and the other defendants allegedly solicited donations under the guise of humanitarian aid and then directed that money to Hamas."

Alzaq had also posted Hamas propaganda on social media, including content that prosecutors say celebrated the 7 October 2023 attack.

Source: Google News MT