The US justice department has charged a suspected Hamas member from Gaza and three Americans over a network that raised more than $1.7m for the group under the cover of humanitarian aid. Prosecutors say the campaigns were pitched as donations for food and winter supplies for Palestinian families in Gaza.
The lead defendant, Salem Alzak, 45, is from Gaza. Prosecutors say he is a Hamas member and deputy commander in a battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the group's armed wing. He also worked in the media unit of the Shuja'iyya Brigade and posted Hamas propaganda online, the department says. Alzak has not been arrested and remains in Gaza.
Three people named as his co-conspirators have been arrested in the US: brothers Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, of Covington, Louisiana, and Raed Yousef, 56, of Lutz, Florida. French police detained three more suspected associates of Alzak in a coordinated operation, the US department said.
At least $626,000 came from donors in the US. Abdel Adhami put about $94,000 into the network between 2021 and September 2026, his brother Omar put in around $11,000, and Yousef gave nearly $50,000.
The fundraising began in January 2020. After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the group ran a new campaign, pitched as aid for the wounded in Gaza, for several days until around October 12. The network ran between the US and France.
According to the indictment, Alzak knew the money was reaching Hamas and worked to stop the donor accounts being shut down. He told supporters not to mention the group when sending transfers. In October 2024, he warned donors using his PayPal accounts not to write phrases such as "Free Palestine" or "long live Hamas." In an undercover sting, Alzak told an agent posing as a Hamas supporter that he regularly helped people send money "to the Green" — which prosecutors say was code for the group.
Alzak is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to defraud the US. The Adhami brothers are charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder money. Yousef is charged with conspiracy and attempts to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, money laundering, and passport fraud.
The department said the charges are allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
"Anyone who funds or helps terrorist organizations responsible for killing Americans should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice," attorney general Todd Blanche said. He said the department will keep pursuing terrorism financing networks and hold those involved to account.