By SCM Religion Correspondent
WASHINGTON — In a major expansion of its campaign against non-state militant financing, the United States announced coordinated sanctions targeting key operational nodes linking the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
The joint initiative, led by the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), penalizes a senior United Kingdom–based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure, alongside three other individuals and three corporate entities operating outside Egypt. U.S. officials state the targets used charitable facades and underground banking systems to funnel capital directly to Hamas.
”Today’s action exposes Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and Hamas-directed front organizations that use charitable facades and underground networks to disguise and move funds in support of terrorism,” said Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, Spokesperson for the Department of State.
He added that the measures fall directly under the overarching framework of Executive Order 13224, which gives the U.S. executive branch broad power to freeze assets and isolate foreign individuals and entities assisting terrorist groups.
According to enforcement details provided by federal agencies, the sanctions expose a sophisticated, multi-layered financial infrastructure operating across several international jurisdictions.
Among those designated is Mahmoud Al-Abyari, a high-ranking official within the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood currently residing in the United Kingdom. Federal authorities accuse Al-Abyari of directing fundraising channels and coordinating with networks that provide material support to Hamas.
The Treasury Department identified several key corporate and non-profit facades:
Madad Palestine Charitable Society: Marketed as a humanitarian organization raising relief funds for civilians in Gaza. Federal investigators found that a substantial portion of these donations was diverted directly to Hamas’s military wing, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades.
El Kahira for General Trading: A Turkey-based entity, alongside its primary owners and shareholders. U.S. officials report the company served as a conduit for moving hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hamas while simultaneously providing specialized banking services to organized crime syndicates in Northern Europe.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated Washington’s stance, noting that the administration remains focused on closing off non-traditional avenues of funding. “Whether operating under the guise of charities, businesses, or underground financial networks, those who enable Hamas will be exposed, sanctioned, and held accountable,” Bessent stated.
Context: The latest enforcement action builds upon a series of policy shifts aimed at disrupting non-traditional banking channels across the Middle East and Europe.
The action marks an intensification of U.S. policy toward the ideological and financial nexus between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. While Hamas originated as an offshoot of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s, the groups have historically operated with varying degrees of administrative independence. However, Western intelligence agencies have long monitored shared financial conduits and illicit fundraising rings operating out of European and Middle Eastern capitals.
The sanctions follow similar targeted enforcement actions earlier this year. In January and March, Washington moved against interconnected “sham charities” and illicit money exchangers across Europe and the Middle East.
By applying Executive Order 13224, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or under the control of U.S. persons are frozen. Furthermore, financial institutions and foreign entities that engage in transactions with these designated individuals risk secondary sanctions, effectively cutting them off from the global U.S. dollar banking system.
