Saleem Alzaq, a 45-year-old Hamas media official, is accused by federal prosecutors of raising $1.7 million for Hamas through donations claimed as humanitarian aid. In undercover communications revealed in court documents, Alzaq boasted about having many friends in New York who were contributing to his fundraising efforts. He allegedly used coded language such as referring to Hamas fighters and funding as "bread" to avoid detection. While several individuals have been arrested or charged in relation to the case in different states and countries, no one from New York has faced charges yet.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Saleem Alzaq, a 45-year-old alleged Hamas member from Gaza, was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges related to funneling $1.7 million to Hamas under the guise of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza between January 2020 and December 2025. The indictment alleges that Alzaq and his co-conspirators raised funds internationally, including at least $626,000 from U.S.-based donors, by soliciting donations through social media campaigns purportedly aimed at providing food and winter necessities.
Two brothers from Louisiana, Abdel Adhami and Omar Adhami, were arrested last month for their roles in the scheme. Abdel is accused of sending over $83,000 to Hamas between 2023 and 2026 while Omar allegedly sent $6,000. The brothers are charged with material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to violate sanctions, money laundering, and defrauding the United States.
The NYPD assisted in bringing down the operation after an undercover detective contacted Alzaq on social media. Additionally, three individuals from France were arrested for helping collect and transfer funds through purported charitable campaigns. French authorities also sanctioned two charities allegedly tied to Hamas financing, while the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Saleem Alzaq and others involved in the network.
Written for “Hamas Fundraising Scheme Exposed” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Saleem Alzaq, who works in Hamas’ “media office,” boasted that he had “so many” friends in the Big Apple in a 2025 exchange with an undercover NYPD agent over Snapchat, federal prosecutors alleged.
asserted
prosecutors → work → Snapchat
“My friends are in New York, so many of them; they are in New York and in the state of Ohio and all over the United States,” Alzaq allegedly told the officer, who had asked how he could contribute.
uncertain
he → tell → officer
“Let me see my friends in New York, and they are all from Palestine, from the West Bank and from Jerusalem, and they are American, all of them; they are young people and they send me all the time,” he said, according to the court docs.
uncertain
he → let → docs
The 45-year-old alleged Hamas mouthpiece, who is believed to still be at-large in Gaza, was indicted on Thursday in Manhattan federal court on charges of funneling $1.7 million to Hamas in “donations” he claimed would be earmarked for humanitarian aid.
asserted
he → believe → aid
Court papers do not reveal what Hamas did with the money, or if the cash was used in any terror plots.
asserted
cash → reveal → plots
Alzaq’s alleged chat with an NYPD undercover using the name “Hussain” was revealed in a separate but related federal complaint unsealed in Louisiana court earlier this week.
asserted
chat → allege → court
Abdel Adhami and his sibling Omar Adhami were arrested in the Pelican State for allegedly funneling cash to Alzaq.
uncertain
Adhami → arrest → Alzaq
Abdel allegedly funneled more than $83,000 to Hamas from 2023 to 2026 while his brother is accused of sending $6,000.
uncertain
brother → funnel → 6,000
A Florida man, Raed Yousef, was separately charged with funneling nearly $50,000 to Hamas, while three more of Alzaq’s alleged associates — Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid and Nordine Barika, were arrested in France by the French General Directorate for Internal Security, according to US officials.
uncertain
three → charge → officials
No one based in New York has been charged in the case to date.
asserted
one → base → date
“This office and our law enforcement partners will root out and prosecute those who finance Hamas, no matter where they are located,” said Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald in a statement.
asserted
McDonald → root → statement
The Adhami brothers allegedly used code words to avoid detection including the term “bread” when referring to Hamas fighters and funding.
uncertain
brothers → use → fighters
“This is the message I wanted to deliver to the person who donated the bread,” Alzaq said to Adbel via Snapchat in January 2024, the court documents state.
asserted
documents → want → January
“Some of them received the bread, thanks be to god,” Alzaq allegedly continued.
uncertain
Alzaq → receive → god
Alzaq, who frequently posted pro-Hamas content on his social media, also allegedly instructed his followers not to write “Free Palestine” or “Long Live Hamas” on their donations so that his PayPal account was not canceled, according to prosecutors.
uncertain
account → post → prosecutors
Manhattan federal prosecutors claimed in the indictment that the slogan “Free Palestine” was a reference to “Hamas’ explicit goal of destroying the state of Israel and establishing an Arab-Muslim state in its place under Sharia law.”
asserted
slogan → claim → law
Lawyers listed as repping the Adhami brothers did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.
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Lawyers → list → comment
The Post was unable to immediately verify which attorneys, if any, were representing the other members of the alleged scheme.
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attorneys → verify → scheme
The Aporia
