French prosecutors charge five over alleged two-million-dollar Hamas funding scheme

Antiterrorism charges in Paris

French judicial authorities placed five people under formal investigation on 3 October 2026 on suspicion of channeling funds to Hamas through non-governmental charity organizations. The National Antiterrorist Prosecution (PNAT) confirmed that the charges include financing a terrorist enterprise, organized breach of trust, and money laundering linked to terrorism. The suspects stand accused of using two humanitarian associations to route public donations to a third-party fundraiser acting on behalf of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. Investigators established that the illicit transfers spanned from 2020 through 2026, with the bulk of the money transmitted after the 7 October 2023 attacks. Both of the targeted humanitarian organizations operated legally on French territory while soliciting donations from the public.

The cross-border investigation

The indictments follow a joint international operation coordinated between French and United States intelligence and law enforcement bodies. In France, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) directed the inquiries and took the five individuals into custody on 29 September 2026. On the American side, the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked in coordination with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). United States authorities previously placed three of the suspects on federal blacklists after identifying an international network that collected more than $2 million for Hamas. Officials reported that the financing network used sophisticated methods to conceal the transactions, combining conventional charitable accounts with cryptocurrency transfers to move capital past banking compliance monitors.

Association leaders and custody rulings

The primary figures in the French case include two charity directors and one family associate. Investigators identified 35-year-old Faouzi Barika, who heads the Gironde-based association Baraka, and his brother Nordine Barika. The third primary suspect is 39-year-old Amel Oualid, who directs the organization Ensemble C Mieux in the Loire department. Following the opening of a formal judicial investigation on 2 October 2026, PNAT prosecutors sought pre-trial detention for both association heads. A liberties and detention judge rejected the prosecutor's request for Oualid, releasing her under judicial supervision. Nordine Barika and two additional unnamed suspects were also released under judicial supervision, while Faouzi Barika was provisionally jailed ahead of a requested adversarial hearing.

Defense responses and case trajectory

Defense representatives for the accused have firmly denied all allegations of terrorist financing, maintaining that all solicited money went to relief initiatives. Counsel for Oualid stated that her client engaged strictly in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and maintained zero organizational or financial ties to Hamas. Faouzi Barika's legal representative argued that pre-trial imprisonment was unjustified given the humanitarian purpose of his work.

My client participated in fundraising for exclusively humanitarian purposes, a detention would be scandalous.

The examining magistrate will now continue gathering financial records, transaction logs, and witness testimonies as the formal investigation moves forward. Other defense attorneys involved in the proceedings declined to comment on the charges as the case heads toward further hearings in Paris.