The Office of Foreign Assets Control described Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq as a Gaza-based deputy battalion commander in Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades

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A staff report released by Senator Richard Blumenthal on September 28, 2026, titled 'Tethered to Terrorism,' found that 84% of 846 sanctioned, Iran-linked crypto wallets transacted heavily in Tether's USDT

A Senate staff report released by Senator Blumenthal alleges that two sanctioned Iranian oil smugglers moved over $603 million in USDT through networks connected to Hezbollah and Houthi factions between June 2021 and August 2026

A Senate staff report released by Senator Blumenthal found that 87% of wallets flagged by Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing and 57% of wallets designated by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control relied heavily on USDT

The sanctioned fundraising network led by Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid collected more than $2 million for Hamas between 2020 and 2026, including $1.5 million raised after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two France-based charities and three individuals on October 2, 2026, for allegedly helping to finance Hamas

The entities sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department are the France-based charities Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, along with individuals Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid, and Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq

Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid allegedly collected donations in France through Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux by presenting the organizations as humanitarian aid groups supporting civilians in Gaza

US secondary sanctions on foreign banks over Hamas funding are justified

The U.S. Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq and announced six associated arrests

U.S. prosecutors stated that Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq and his associates raised approximately $1.75 million through December 2025, which included at least $626,000 from donors in the United States

On October 2, 2026, the A7 payment platform denied any connection to Iran or terrorist organizations, stating it focuses strictly on legitimate trade settlements for Russian businesses

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, advised potential donors to avoid using Binance for crypto transfers and instead consider alternative platforms, according to a U.S. Department of Justice asset-seizure warrant.

The Al-Qassam Brigades advised donors to use Tether's USDT stablecoin and the TRC-20 network on the Tron blockchain, suggesting Binance only be used to purchase digital assets before transferring them elsewhere.

The Al-Qassam Brigades recommended alternative applications including Trust Wallet, Bybit, OKX, Kast, and RedotPay for transferring funds to an external TRON blockchain wallet.

The U.S. Treasury Department investigated $165 million in cryptocurrency-linked transactions that may have helped finance Hamas prior to the October 2023 attacks, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated in its 2026 terrorist financing risk assessment that groups including Hamas and ISIS continue to use cryptocurrency for some donations, though traditional financial services remain their preferred method.

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 10, 2023, that cryptocurrency wallets connected to Hamas received approximately $41 million between 2020 and 2023.

U.S. authorities increased scrutiny of Hamas-related financial activity and refocused counterterrorist financing efforts following the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.