Washington, D.C. –January 26, 2026 – Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation welcomes the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) and related entities announced on January 21, 2026. The sanctions represent a significant step in disrupting Hamas's international financing and logistical infrastructure.​

The Treasury Department designated PCPA under Executive Order 13224 for being owned, controlled, or directed by Hamas and for acting on behalf of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization. The designation package also targeted six Gaza-based organizations and senior PCPA official Zaher Birawi for providing material support to Hamas's military operations.

Treasury's action exposes PCPA's role in Hamas's international outreach architecture, including its involvement in organizing flotilla campaigns aimed at breaking Israel's security cordon around Gaza. The designations also highlight concerning connections between PCPA and South African government officials, including documented meetings with Ambassador Ghulam Hoosein Asmal in Doha and PCPA participation in anti-Israel conferences attended by ruling African National Congress officials.

Statement from Dr. Fundji Benedict, CEO of Liberty Values & Strategy Foundation:

"The Trump administration's January 21st designations represent a move in the right direction. These sanctions acknowledge the serious threat posed by Hamas's global support networks that operate under the guise of humanitarian and civil society organizations.

However, the work is far from complete. The U.S. Department of the Treasury should now consider investigating Gift of the Givers and designating it as a terrorist organization. Documentation has been piling up for years regarding this organization's terrorism support activities.

Gift of the Givers founder Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman has acknowledged past connections to the Al-Aqsa Foundation, whose South African branch was designated by Treasury in 2003 for Hamas support, as well as alleged donations to the Union of Good, designated in 2008 for Hamas financing. The organization operates extensively in Hamas-controlled Gaza with cash distribution programs and maintains operational relationships that allow it to function where official channels cannot, raising serious questions about enabling militant infrastructure.

The South African government's endorsement of Gift of the Givers in its International Court of Justice case against Israel, combined with the organization's documented network overlaps with known Hamas-linked entities in South Africa, demands immediate scrutiny. The lack of published financial audits and donor transparency further compounds these concerns.

We urge the Treasury Department to expand its investigation to include Gift of the Givers and the broader South African-based Hamas support network, including individuals such as Emad Saber, Hamas's representative in South Africa, and Ebrahim Gabriels of the Al-Quds Foundation of South Africa."