International Hamas Fundraising Network

On October 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three individuals with European residence, for facilitating the terrorist group Hamas: according to the designation statement, the three men - Mohammad Hannoun, Majed al-Zeer and Adel Doughman - are Hamasrepresentatives in Europe whooperate an international fundraising network for the organization through pro-Palestinian charities that act as front for Hamas funding.

Mohammad Hannoun is an Italy-based Hamas member who founded the Charity Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, known as Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese (ABSPP). While the organization presents itself as a humanitarian charity, the OFAC designation announcement reveals that it has been funneling financial support for Hamas’s military operations. As an executive at ABSPP, Hannoun has allegedly transferred at least $4 million to Hamas-controlled entities since 2018. He has also worked closely with senior Hamas officials to secure funding for the group.

In Germany, Majed al-Zeer has been identified as a senior Hamas representative responsible for the organization's fundraising efforts in Europe. Al-Zeer has appeared alongside high-ranking Hamas figures in public events to generate financial and logistical support. He has also taken part in Hamas delegations to the Middle East alongside other European-based operatives, including Hannoun and Adel Doughman.

Adel Doughman, who is reportedly in charge of Hamas activities in Austria, is another prominent figure linked to the group’s financial operations. He has held leadership roles in organizations affiliated with Hamas, some of which have been previously sanctioned by the United States. Doughman has also participated in international conferences and delegations on behalf of Hamas and worked closely with institutions such as the Union of Good and the al-Quds International Institution, both designated by the U.S. for their ties to the terrorist organization. Doughman is also the founder of the Austrian pro-Palestinian charity Rahma Austria, which according to the Austrian media has been investigated by the local authorities for financing Hamas.

Deceiving Methods for Raising Western Funds

Through their European registered charities, these men raise funds under the guise of charity work and humanitarian aid for innocent Gazans, especially children. On the charities’ websites, people can donate to various honorable causes, such as healthcare, shelter, education, and food aid.

Nonetheless, this OFAC announcement reveals the true nature of the charities, and as a consequence the real destination of these prima facie legitimate donations - supporting a terrorist group that targets Israel and the West. By doing so, these charities and their Hamas managers fraudulently obtain funds intended for a worthy purpose and use them to finance terrorism.

Surprising Advantage of Sanctions Implication to the Battle Against Terror Funding

Imposing International sanctions is a well-known and proven tool for the fight against terrorist financing: its main goal, which it fulfills with great success, is to block bank accounts of the designated entities and disrupt their business activities.

However, sanctions have another surprising advantage, which has been recently revealed through WEBINT research: the social media accounts of the designated associations and their heads, including those of ABSPP and Mohammad Hannoun, were also closed and deactivated. It is possible that the accounts were blocked by the social media platforms themselves; nonetheless, it’s also highly plausible that the accounts’ owners decided to shut them down, either to avoid backlash and negative publicity, or for the purpose of staying under the radar and hiding any illicit activity that has been done via these accounts.

This social media “drought” has a significant advantage (beyond the psychological one) in the fight against Hamas's terrorist financing.

Over the years of its activity, ABSPP and Hannoun published dozens (if not hundreds) of publications pledging for donations, containing a link to donate through the association's website, or bank account details for direct bank transfers. In addition, the accounts contained publications for fundraising campaigns of other pro-Palestinian associations, which could have potentially being used to funnel their donated funds to terrorist purposes. The public exposure to these publications has decreased significantly following the closure of social media accounts.

The bottom line, the ability to block financial and business operations of sanctioned entities is a major step in the fight against terror funding. The surprising advantage of these sanctions - an off-the-radar approach - are another step in the process of preventing citizens of Western countries from unknowingly funding terrorist organizations.

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