US sanctions Palestinian aid groups with alleged Hamas links

The United States Treasury has said it is sanctioning a number of Palestinian humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza, citing their alleged links to Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, as reported by Middle East Eye plus agencies on January 21st.

The organisations targeted are Waed Society, Al-Nur, Qawafil, Al-Falah, Merciful Hands, and Al-Salameh. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control claimed that several members of Hamas’s security forces have been taken in as humanitarian workers by Waed Society and Al-Salameh, while Merciful Hands, Al-Nur and Al-Falah “have directly transferred money to the Hamas military wing.”

The organisations websites and Facebook pages, however, suggest that their activities are focused on humanitarian and social assistance. Their projects include aid programmes for amputees injured during successive wars on Gaza, medical support for severe war-related wounds, community support sessions, and training courses aimed at developing technical skills. Additionally, the Waed Society and Al-Nur carry out advocacy work to raise awareness and campaign for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody.

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley, stated: “The Trump administration will not look the other way while Hamas leadership and enablers exploit the financial system to fund terrorist operations.” 

The US also named the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which US authorities say coordinated flotillas that have previously sailed towards Gaza. The Treasury said it was “a front organization for Hamas [that] operates in accordance with Hamas directives”. The founder of PCPA, UK-based Zaher Khaled Hassan Birawi, was also sanctioned on January 21st. 

The Trump administration asserted that it does not “sanction persons for their engagement in activities subject to US constitutional protection, such as protected speech or religious practice, or for their religious beliefs.” However, the United States did impose sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, over her perceived anti-Israel bias as well as a number of judges of the International Criminal Court.

Middle East Eye plus agencies, Maghrebi.org