More than $626,000 from American donors flowed straight to Hamas through a fake humanitarian-aid scheme that operated for five years before law enforcement finally moved in — raising the question of what exactly Washington's financial watchdogs were doing while cash poured into a designated terror group.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday, reveals a sprawling network that funneled at least $1.7 million to Hamas under the cover of Gaza relief campaigns. The alleged ringleader, 45-year-old Gaza resident Saleem Alzaq, has been a Hamas member since at least 2017 and posted propaganda celebrating the October 7 attack — yet his fundraising operations ran uninterrupted from January 2020 through December 2025. He launched a new campaign on the day of the October 7 massacre, soliciting money for Gazans injured that day. It stayed open for five more days.
The American money came through multiple channels. Two Louisiana brothers, Abdel and Omar Adhami, allegedly funneled roughly $89,000 combined — Abdel sending over $83,000 through multiple PayPal accounts between November 2023 and June 2025, according to the New York Post. A Florida man kicked in nearly $50,000. Co-conspirators in France handled collection and transfers. The total U.S.-based haul: at least $626,000.
The scheme was straightforward. Alzaq and his network solicited donations online, posted Hamas propaganda on Snapchat and Telegram, and used code words — "bread," "bakeries," "give it to the bakeries" — to signal that money was reaching Hamas fighters. Alzaq allegedly coached donors to avoid writing "Free Palestine" or "long live Hamas" to keep their accounts from being shut down. He told one U.S.-based supporter in January 2024 that he had "learned the way" and could deliver to "the bread people" "whatever you want."
The bust only happened because of an undercover operation — and it wasn't the financial regulators or the intelligence apparatus that triggered it. According to the Post, Alzaq inadvertently contacted an undercover NYPD detective on Snapchat in November 2025. The detective, operating under the name "Hussain," was put in touch with Abdel Adhami, who assured him on WhatsApp: "But do not worry everything is legal, God willing."
CBS News framed the story as a straightforward federal prosecution, noting the charges against Alzaq — conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering, and defrauding the U.S. — each carrying up to 20 years. The Post highlighted the NYPD's role and named the Adhami brothers, who face material support and wire fraud charges. What neither outlet asked: how did $626,000 leave American wallets, through American payment platforms, and land in the hands of a designated foreign terrorist organization for half a decade?
PayPal processed tens of thousands of dollars in transactions to a known Hamas propagandist. The platforms that regulators and compliance officers are supposed to monitor apparently missed — or ignored — the pattern. Meanwhile, the DOJ has devoted resources to investigating parents who show up at school board meetings.
Alzaq remains free in Gaza and has not been arrested. The Adhami brothers were busted in Louisiana last month. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch credited her department's counterterrorism analysts with uncovering the network, saying the "NYPD's counterterrorism work knows no borders."
Fair enough. But the borders around American bank accounts apparently do — and the people supposed to guard them have some explaining to do.
