Prosecutors: Alleged Hamas Fundraising Network Collected $1.7 Million, Including Hundreds of Thousands From U.S. Donors

Nearly three years after Hamas carried out its October 7 attack on Israel, federal prosecutors have accused a network of raising more than $1.7 million for the terrorist organization, with hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly coming from donors in the United States.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday, charges Saleem Alzaq, a 45-year-old Gaza resident whom authorities describe as a longtime Hamas member, with helping organize and operate a fundraising operation that purported to collect money for humanitarian assistance.

According to prosecutors, Alzaq and several alleged accomplices solicited donations between January 2020 and December 2025, presenting the campaigns as efforts to provide food and winter supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. The operation reportedly collected more than $1.7 million, including at least $626,000 contributed by individuals based in the United States.

Investigators allege Alzaq had belonged to Hamas since at least 2017. He is also accused of distributing Hamas propaganda through social media, including material praising the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

Prosecutors say the fundraising operation extended internationally, involving contacts in both the United States and France. Individuals in France allegedly assisted with collecting and transferring contributions. Among the American donors, two brothers from Louisiana reportedly provided approximately $105,000, while a Florida resident allegedly contributed nearly $50,000 to the network.

Alzaq faces four conspiracy charges: providing material support to Hamas, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering, and defrauding the United States. The first three offenses carry potential maximum prison terms of 20 years each upon conviction, while the charge involving conspiracy to defraud the government carries a maximum sentence of five years. Alzaq remains at large. Prosecutors say he was living in Gaza throughout the period in which the alleged activities occurred.

The indictment further claims that Alzaq established another fundraising appeal on October 7, 2023, portraying it as an effort to assist Gazans wounded during that day’s events. Authorities say the campaign continued accepting donations until approximately October 12.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement officials conducted an undercover operation that prosecutors say revealed Alzaq’s awareness that donated funds were being directed to Hamas.

According to the indictment, in November 2025, an undercover officer posing as a Hamas supporter living in New York contacted Alzaq through Snapchat. Alzaq allegedly told the individual that he had arrangements for receiving money in New York and offered to introduce him to people who could facilitate the transactions.

Prosecutors allege that the following month, Alzaq described working with individuals who wanted to transfer money to “the Green,” which investigators identify as a reference to Hamas. He reportedly claimed that he collected contributions and passed them along to “the Green,” while explaining that documenting the transfers would be difficult because Hamas members avoided using identification.

Alzaq allegedly described a system for making recurring monthly payments through coded terminology. According to prosecutors, the words “bread,” “bakeries,” “buy bread” and “give it to the bakeries” were used to conceal the intended destination of the money.

The indictment also references earlier Snapchat conversations in which Alzaq allegedly discussed comparable arrangements with another Hamas supporter based in the United States. In January 2024, after the individual asked about money delivered to “the bread people,” Alzaq reportedly replied that he had “learned the way” and could provide them with “whatever you want.”

Prosecutors further allege that Alzaq instructed contributors to avoid explicitly mentioning Hamas when making donations so that payment accounts would not be suspended. In October 2024, he allegedly warned followers against including phrases such as “Free Palestine” or “long live Hamas” in contributions sent through his PayPal accounts.

“Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funneled to Hamas,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. “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.”