The US sanctioned three Turkey-based individuals and one sham charity on Monday, designating them as prominent international financial supporters of Hamas. The sanctions, imposed on the first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, underscore Turkey’s ongoing support of the terrorist organization.
Hamid Abdullah Hussein al-Ahmar is the most high-profile sanctioned individual. As a major Hamas financier who manages the group’s investment portfolio of over $500 million, al-Ahmar helped fund Hamas’s terrorist operations inside Israel as well as entities such as the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Quds Foundation — a sham charity established by Hamas that organized terrorist operations in Jerusalem.
Additionally, Treasury designated two Turkish companies, Sabaturk Dis Ticaret Anonim Sirketi and Vivid Enerji Yatirimlari Anonim Sirketi, for being owned or controlled by al-Ahmar. Al-Ahmar also runs the League of Parliamentarians for al-Quds and Palestine (LP4Q), an organization headquartered in Istanbul that champions Hamas as a defender of Palestine. LP4Q has deep ties to Turkey’s ruling Islamist AKP Party and hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the speaker of the Turkish Parliament at its latest conference in April.
Majed al-Zeer is another sanctioned senior Hamas representative, based in Germany, who leads the terrorist group’s fundraising operations in Europe. In 2014, Hamas sources reported that al-Zeer brokered a “secret agreement” on behalf of Hamas with the Turkish government, allowing the terror group to move some of its leadership to Istanbul.
The latest designations — the U.S. Treasury Department’s eighth tranche of sanctions against Hamas financiers since the October 2023 terrorist attack in southern Israel — constitute an important step in Washington’s recognition of Turkey’s role in providing a safe haven to and maintaining a close partnership with Hamas. Treasury’s actions also underscore Turkey’s unrelenting dedication to providing material support to Hamas. On prior occasions, Treasury designated other Hamas officials like Jihad Yaghmour, Hamas’s representative in Turkey and primary interlocutor with the Turkish government, who organized meetings between Turkish government officials and senior Hamas leaders.
Since the October 7 atrocities, Erdogan has made a pronounced effort to openly advocate for Hamas. On the anniversary of the terror attacks, he released a video praising Hamas for its efforts to stand up to Israel’s counterterrorism operations in Gaza. Recently, he also baselessly accused Israel of harboring intentions to invade Turkey.
Turkey is the only country in NATO to champion the cause of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization under the laws of the United States, the European Union, and Canada. Shortly after the October 7 attacks, Erdogan said, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” but “a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”
Hamas maintains offices in Turkey, although these locations are not publicly known. Erdogan openly takes meetings with senior Hamas leadership, most recently in July 2023, when he hosted then Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, whom Israel assassinated in July 2024. Ankara granted Haniyeh Turkish citizenship in 2020. His deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, whom Israel killed in January 2024, also received a Turkish passport.
Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Sophia Epley is an intern. Sophia is also a student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. For more analysis from Sinan and Sophia, please subscribe HERE. Follow Sinan on X @SinanCiddi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. This is an excerpt only.
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