Washington, DC – The US Department of Justice announced on Friday the arrest of Mohammed Yousef Hassaneh, the global director of a UK-registered charity described by authorities as a “sham,” and charged him with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas and financing terrorism. The Justice Department statement explained that the indictment includes three main charges against Hassaneh, also known as Orhan Korkmaz and Abu al-Baraa, who resides in Istanbul. The department indicated that Hassaneh used his administrative position to coordinate directly with senior Hamas leaders regarding the delivery of funds and supplies to the Gaza Strip and to oversee their distribution according to the movement’s leadership directives. He was arrested on Friday in the United Kingdom pending further legal proceedings.
Official US statements regarding illicit financing networks
Drying up funding sources: The statement quoted Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg as saying that money flowing through front charities funds Hamas activities, including the October 7 attacks, stressing that the movement cannot continue without these flows, and that the department will continue to disrupt its operations and pursue its funders.
Dismantling global networks: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jimmy MacDonald, said that Hassan worked closely to deliver supplies, food, and money under the guise of humanitarian aid, adding that his arrest reflects the commitment of U.S. authorities to dismantle Hamas’s global financing networks and associations that use charity as a cover for terrorism.
“Direct coordination with Ghazi Hamad” to disguise the true destination of the supplies
The ministry alleged that Hassaneh worked closely with Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas leader, member of its political bureau, and Minister of Social Development in Gaza, since at least 2023. According to the charges, the two coordinated the entry of humanitarian aid designated by the charity into the Gaza Strip for Hamas. Hassaneh was responsible for delivering supplies, food, and other necessities directly to Hamad and the movement, as well as arranging cash transfers and the purchase of supplies that were brought into Gaza and delivered to warehouses operated by the charity or the Ministry of Social Development. The ministry stated that the two concealed the true destination and storage locations of the supplies by claiming they were being delivered to the ministry when in fact they were being transferred to Hassaneh’s warehouses. They also took care to photograph and videotape the supplies without displaying any labels that would reveal their locations or who controlled them.
Potential sanctions and huge financial jumps in the association’s revenues
Charges and Penalties: Hassaneh faces three charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and financing terrorism. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after conviction, in accordance with legal guidelines. The charity’s financial growth: Disclosures submitted by the charity to British authorities show that its total revenue increased from approximately $41.8 million in fiscal year 2023 to approximately $81.56 million in fiscal year 2024 (nearly doubling after the October 7 attacks), while it spent approximately $91 million on charitable activities up to July 31, 2025.
