The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq, two France-based individuals and two groups over an alleged network that collected more than $2 million for Hamas from 2020 through 2026. Treasury said about $1.5 million was collected after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while cryptocurrency accounted for only part of the total. Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid allegedly used Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, which presented themselves as humanitarian charities, to solicit donations that were transferred to al-Zaq. Treasury said the pair sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to al-Zaq, who allegedly funneled funds to Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades. The action follows a September seizure of more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency allegedly intended for the brigades and related Justice Department and French cases involving the network. The designations block U.S.-linked property and generally prohibit transactions involving the designated parties without authorization. The case illustrates how cryptocurrency can form one part of broader sanctions-evasion and illicit-finance networks, alongside charities, social media and traditional money services businesses.