The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Thursday on four groups in Turkey and Indonesia that used charitable donations as a front to fundraise for Hamas.
The department cited internal documents from the terrorist group showing that the so-called “sham charities” sent funds to Hamas fighters, paid for its construction projects and integrated with the group’s military-wing security apparatus.
“Hamas continues to rely on deceitful practices to hide its revenue-generating activities behind civilian organizations under the pretense of conducting humanitarian work, while in reality supporting the group’s continued efforts to fund its terrorist operations,” the department said.
“Hamas’s continued reliance on these types of organizations highlights the duplicity of its leaders, who prey on donors’ sympathies to siphon large sums of money into prolonging the suffering of Palestinians,” it added.
Three of the groups that the Treasury Department targeted are based in Turkey: Ghazi Destek Dernegi; Hayat Yolu; and the Palestinian White Hands Assistance and Solidarity Association. The department noted that Hayat Yolu also serves as a banking and financial hub for the Muslim Brotherhood, some branches of which the Trump administration has designated as terrorist organizations.
A fourth, Komite Nasional Untuk Rakyat Palestina, is based in Indonesia.
