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The Trump administration on Tuesday accused Hamas of using activist and Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks to support a Gaza-bound flotilla and sanctioned several organizers tied to the effort.
The sanctions package, announced by the Treasury and State departments, also targeted activists associated with Samidoun, an anti-Israel activist network that U.S. officials describe as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), along with operatives tied to Muslim Brotherhood networks aligned with Hamas.
The U.S. has designated the PFLP as a foreign terrorist organization. And governments including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Both groups are Islamist organizations that believe in establishing Islamic theocracies where sharia, or Islamic law, is the law of the land.
The sanctions came after the Israeli navy stopped dozens of boats from the flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained hundreds of activists on board. Activists involved in the flotilla say the mission is intended to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the territory, while Israeli officials have described the effort as a political provocation.
The move lands as a warning shot at a broader activist ecosystem in the U.S. that has long championed the flotilla campaign in a nexus between Islamist and pro-communist organizations, including CodePink and the People’s Forum, nonprofits funded by an American Marxist expatriate, Neville Roy Singham, living in Shanghai, promoting the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party. On Monday, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin published a video, protesting the “kidnapping” of flotilla members detained by Israel, calling the country a “pariah state.” Earlier this month, the People’s Forum demanded the release of other detained activists. The sanctions fit a wider Treasury Department strategy of targeting networks that use humanitarian or civil-society branding to amplify causes aligned with Hamas.
ISRAEL CLAIMS NO AID WAS FOUND ABOARD GAZA-BOUND FLOTILLA
People hold banners and Palestinian flags during a protest against Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud flotilla outside the Foreign Ministry in Athens, Greece, on May 18, 2026. (Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The pro-terror flotilla attempting to reach Gaza is a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to sever Hamas’ global financial support networks, no matter where in the world they are,” Bessent said.
The move reflects growing scrutiny from U.S. officials over the role activist, nonprofit and international support networks play in amplifying or supporting groups designated as terrorist organizations.
The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets of designated individuals and generally prohibit Americans and U.S.-based entities from conducting business with them.
The State Department said the designations target three categories of what it described as Hamas enablers: organizers of a Hamas-backed flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, operatives within Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks that facilitate violent terrorist attacks and coordinators tied to Samidoun.
Among those sanctioned were Spain-based Saif Hashim Kamel Abukishek, a member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad who Treasury officials said served on the flotilla’s steering committee, and Jordan-based Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, the acting secretary general and president of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad.
Treasury also sanctioned Belgium-based Samidoun coordinator Mohammed Khatib and Madrid-based activist Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, whom officials accused of helping coordinate the group’s activities in Europe.
TURKEY’S NATO ROLE UNDER SCRUTINY AMID NEW REPORT ON HAMAS, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD TIES
Israeli forces board a vessel during the interception of the Global Sumud flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, 2026. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)
Treasury has previously described Samidoun as a fundraising and support platform for the PFLP in countries where the group faces legal restrictions.
The sanctions package also targeted several operatives tied to Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks, including members linked to Harakat Sawa’d Misr, an Egypt-based militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood known by the acronym HASM.
“Hamas uses these enablers to sustain its position in Gaza, finance its operations, and engage in terrorist violence beyond its borders,” the State Department said. “Today’s action exposes how Hamas exploits diaspora organizations, religious institutions, and purported civil society groups to advance its malign agenda while claiming humanitarian objectives.”
Treasury accused Karim Sayed Ahmed Moghny, one of the individuals sanctioned Tuesday, of directing militant activity, training operatives in covert operations and collaborating with HASM on attacks targeting Israeli interests.
Treasury also sanctioned Marwan Abu Ras and the Palestinian Scholars Association, which officials accused of helping align religious institutions in Gaza with Hamas’ ideology.
The sanctions came as Israeli forces intercepted the remaining flotilla vessels Tuesday, detaining hundreds of activists aboard the boats, according to The Associated Press.
Cutline/caption: Israeli soldiers are seen on a vessel bearing symbols of the Global Sumud flotilla, with a cargo ship behind it, as seen from Ashdod, southern Israel, on May 19, 2026. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)
Flotilla organizers said 428 activists from more than 40 countries were detained after Israeli forces stopped roughly 41 vessels in international waters off Cyprus, according to the AP.
Amnesty International called for the release of flotilla activists, including Abukishek, and described the mission as a “peaceful solidarity mission” intended to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
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Turkey and Hamas condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, while Ireland’s prime minister described the operation in international waters as “absolutely unacceptable,” according to the AP.
Samidoun told Fox News Digital it rejected the sanctions and denied having “material or organizational ties” to groups designated as terrorist organizations. The group also accused the U.S. government of politically coordinating the sanctions with Israel’s interception of the flotilla, which it described as “piracy” and the “abduction” of activists.
Fox News Digital was unable to immediately reach representatives for Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad through publicly available channels.
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