Gaza/Israel: OFAC seeks to warn/reassure on humanitarian aid

‘All U.S. sanctions programs, including Treasury’s counterterrorism sanctions, have carveouts to protect the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians. These authorizations remain in full effect.’ So said  Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, speaking at a Brussels roundtable, 30 October, convened of international NGOs concerned by the ongoing difficulty of ensuring that aid reaches the Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

A ‘read-out’ published by the US Treasury said that ‘roundtable participants [had] raised challenges in delivering aid in Gaza and access to financial services. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo shared how Hamas has raised funds through entities that present themselves outwardly as charities but are in fact fronts for Hama’s fundraising. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo underscored the importance of denying Hamas’s access to funds following its heinous terrorist attacks against the people of Israel, and Treasury’s commitment to ensuring that U.S. sanctions do not stand in the way of legitimate humanitarian activities in Gaza, and to working proactively with the private sector and humanitarian actors to make sure humanitarian activities continue.’