Treasury Dept sanctions pro-Hamas fundraiser group, labels it a 'sham charity'

The United States Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned the pro-Hamas fundraiser group Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) and labeled it as a "sham charity" that fundraises for a terrorist organization. 

The sanction and label was announced in a joint action with Canada, where Samidoun is based, and was also designated as a terrorist organization itself by the Canadian government. It serves as a fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. 

“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” Bradley Smith, acting U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Terrorism, said in a statement.

The PFLP is currently operating in the West Bank and Gaza, and was first declared a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997. It is considered a faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization. 

The department also sanctioned Khaled Barakat, who it claimed is a leader for the PFLP, and is married to Samidoun’s international coordinator Charlotte Kates, according to NBC News.

The organization was also banned in Germany in 2023. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage