US to pay rewards of up to $10 million for tips on funding sources for Hamas

Washington has posted a reward of up to $10 million for information on financial networks tied to the terrorist group Hamas.

The State Department announced the reward on Jan. 5 for intelligence on Hamas financier Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, whose nickname is “Hamza.”

He is based in Sudan and has allegedly given the terrorist organization $20 million through his investment portfolio, which consists of money laundering.

This allegedly includes direct transfers to Mahir Jawad Yunis Salah, who has been sanctioned by the United States.

In 2015, the United States labeled Mr. Salah as a specially designated global terrorist, meaning his assets in the United States were blocked.

Mr. Khair allegedly also has financial connections to Al Qaeda, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, and Sudan-based entities connected to the late Osama bin Laden.

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The State Department is also seeking information surrounding Amer Kamal Sharif Alshawa, who is based in Turkey and allegedly has served on the board of investment portfolios tied to Hamas.

The department is also seeking intelligence about Hamas investment portfolio secretary Ahmed Sadu Jahleb, who allegedly aids and abets numerous undertakings for the group’s officials and Hamas-controlled entities.

Finally, the State Department is asking for information about longtime Hamas operative Walid Mohammed Mustafa Jadallah, who is allegedly connected to Iranian regime-tied companies and has given Hamas tens of millions of dollars, especially to the Izz al-Din al-Qassim Brigades, the terrorist group’s military wing. Iran backs Hamas.

Mr. Salah, Mr. Khair, Mr. Alshawa, Mr. Jahleb, and Mr. Jadallah have been named by the United States as specially designated global terrorists, meaning their assets in America are blocked.

The reward offered by the State Department is part of Foggy Bottom’s Rewards for Justice program.

It comes amid the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas, which invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and murdered, maimed, and took hostage more than 1,400 Israelis.

In addition to the United States—the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the Organization of American States have designated Hamas as a terrorist group.

Hamas was created by Ahmed Yassin and six other Muslims in 1987, during the First Intifada in Israel.

It is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist organization that has expressed hostility toward Israel and the West. Hamas stands for “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya,” or “Islamic Resistance Movement.”

There are presently between 20,000 and 25,000 members of Hamas, according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

In addition to a military unit, Hamas, whose terrorists wear a green headband, also has a political unit.

Hamas’ charter, published in 1988, calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.

In 2017, Hamas published a “document of general principles and policies” stating that “a real state of Palestine is a state that has been liberated.”