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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"71bfd29f-c731-4419-bf10-6cf164004cea","kind":"publish","page_slug":"zaid-issam-ahmed-al-jebouri","published_at":"2026-09-14T17:12:33.815Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri","sections":[{"content":"On July 23, 2026, OFAC designated Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, for owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, El-Kahira for General Trading. The designation was part of a broader OFAC action that added 45 individuals and approximately 31 entities to the SDN list on the same date, spanning Hamas, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, and Cuban state entities. The al-Jebouri designation specifically falls under the counter-terrorism program. Two co-designees were named alongside him: his associate Abdulla Issam Ahmad al-Jebouri (also Iraqi, born October 3, 1988) and Khaldun Khamis Zakaria Alden (Palestinian, born July 19, 1980), who is identified as the owner of El-Kahira. The legal effect of SDGT designation is the blocking of all property and property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and a prohibition on U.S. persons conducting transactions with the designee.","heading":"OFAC Designation and Legal Authority","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury press release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — July 23, 2026 designation list","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260723"}]},{"content":"El-Kahira for General Trading is a Turkey-registered over-the-counter exchange office that OFAC determined served as the primary financial mechanism through which al-Jebouri and his co-designees facilitated Hamas financing. According to the OFAC press release, El-Kahira transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hamas and provided underground banking services — in both fiat currency and cryptocurrency — to organized crime groups including the Sweden-based Foxtrot criminal network. The Foxtrot network, led by a figure known as the Kurdish Fox, is reported to maintain operational ties to Iran. El-Kahira was also alleged to have moved funds through a transaction corridor that included a Gaza-based money service business (identified in related reporting as Buy Cash Money and Transfer Company), an unnamed UAE-based OTC cash-out desk, and the Istanbul operation itself. OFAC designated El-Kahira as an entity alongside the three individuals. Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) had previously targeted El-Kahira in a seizure order issued in January 2026 — and in a February 2025 order that referenced the entity under the name Dubai Company for Exchange — alleging it provided substantial assistance to Hamas.","heading":"El-Kahira for General Trading — Entity Overview","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury press release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — July 23, 2026 designation list","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260723"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hamas Crypto Sanctions: How Hamas-related Crypto Addresses Got 160M USDT — Global Ledger","type":"research","url":"https://blog.globalledger.io/research-investigations/hamas-related-sanctions-why-proactive-compliance-matters-now-more-than-ever"},{"credibility":1,"name":"NBCTF Cryptocurrency Seizure Orders","type":"regulatory","url":"https://nbctf.mod.gov.il/en/Minister%20Sanctions/PropertyPerceptions/Pages/Blockchain.aspx"}]},{"content":"OFAC added seven TRON (TRX) blockchain wallet addresses to al-Jebouri's SDN entry on July 23, 2026. The seven addresses are: TPyE2oSoaysrXfLzwf9wetBVr9JudLwjtD, TVgUsVzA7mpFExP4zS7HHbtKti6UuBDuwZ, TLoG3vbjDgqmTD5bM7w9rMgA6ysaNReuRy, TAhHpxPRwo1Bmm1A9m51uZ31tcB7EPq7SY, TScXZTbDjjZ6a6jiC7dZjgCqfNo4vm7atV, TGr2i8ZQiiMRjP3mWyQUH2MQBfKu8GJNqm, and THJUJFyTnrBWb1ijWav7qfRBrjUuKgP49Z. According to blockchain analytics reporting, these seven wallets collectively received approximately $38.6 million in digital assets. On-chain analytics firm Nominis reported that it had flagged one of the designated addresses — beginning TLoG... — with a critical risk score approximately six months before the official SDN listing, illustrating a gap between proactive on-chain detection and formal regulatory action. The network's use of TRON is consistent with documented Hamas financing patterns: the chain offers low transaction fees and high stablecoin (USDT) liquidity. After the designation, Tether Limited blocked the wallets at the smart contract level, preventing withdrawals. Approximately 600,000 USDT was reported to remain frozen in the wallets after the block was applied.","heading":"Cryptocurrency Addresses and On-Chain Activity","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — July 23, 2026 designation list","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260723"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Hamas Crypto Wallets on TRON — Nominis","type":"research","url":"https://www.nominis.io/insights/ofac-sanctions-hamas-crypto-wallets-on-tron-while-nominis-flagged-them-six-months-prior"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Update: Seven TRON Addresses Added to SDN List — Scorechain","type":"research","url":"https://www.scorechain.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-update-seven-tron-addresses-added-to-ofac-sdn-list-in-hamas-related"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Hamas AML Alert — Cryptacount","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptacount.com/en/news/ofac-hamas-facilitators-tron-crypto-sanctions-july-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hamas Crypto Sanctions: Global Ledger research","type":"research","url":"https://blog.globalledger.io/research-investigations/hamas-related-sanctions-why-proactive-compliance-matters-now-more-than-ever"}]},{"content":"The OFAC action identified three individuals as the operating core of El-Kahira for General Trading. Khaldun Khamis Zakaria Alden is designated as the owner of the entity. Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri and Abdulla Issam Ahmad al-Jebouri are designated as shareholders. OFAC also stated that Zaid and Abdulla provided underground banking services for a separate organized criminal group, in addition to their role in the El-Kahira Hamas financing operation. The connection to the Foxtrot criminal network — a Sweden-based organized crime group with reported ties to Iran — indicates the entity's services were available to multiple illicit actors beyond Hamas alone. The financial corridor described in compliance reporting ran from Istanbul (El-Kahira) through the UAE (an OTC cash-out desk) and into Gaza (Buy Cash Money and Transfer Company), reflecting a layered, multi-jurisdiction money movement structure. This was identified by OFAC as the third round of sanctions against Hamas's Turkish financial infrastructure in under two years, suggesting persistence of Turkish-based Hamas fundraising channels.","heading":"Network Connections and Co-Designees","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury press release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Treasury Sanctions Turkish Hamas Financiers — FDD Long War Journal","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/07/analysis-us-treasury-sanctions-turkish-hamas-financiers-as-erdogan-presses-for-f-35s.php"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — GlobalSecurity.org","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2026/07/sec-260723-treasury02.htm"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Hamas Facilitators — Chainalysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-hamas-facilitators-illicit-finance-july-2026/"}]},{"content":"The July 23, 2026 designation is part of a documented pattern of OFAC enforcement actions targeting Hamas's Turkey-based financial infrastructure. Analysis from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) noted the action occurs while American lawmakers have introduced legislation conditioning potential F-35 fighter jet sales to Turkey on certification that Ankara has severed connections to Hamas, underscoring the diplomatic tension between the United States and Turkey over Hamas's continued use of Turkish territory for financial operations. The broader July 23, 2026 action also targeted the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, with a senior Brotherhood official designated alongside the Hamas network. Two charitable entities — Madad Palestine Charitable Society (Gaza-based) and Tujuh Bulir Global (Indonesia-based) — were designated in the same action on allegations of funneling funds to Hamas's military operations, illustrating the multi-channel nature of Hamas's external financing. The NBCTF's prior February 2025 and January 2026 actions against El-Kahira preceded the U.S. designation by months to over a year, reflecting a multi-jurisdiction enforcement trajectory.","heading":"Geopolitical and Regulatory Context","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"US Treasury Sanctions Turkish Hamas Financiers as Erdogan Presses for F-35s — FDD Long War Journal","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/07/analysis-us-treasury-sanctions-turkish-hamas-financiers-as-erdogan-presses-for-f-35s.php"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions (July 20–24, 2026) — SanctionsExpert","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.sanctionsexpert.com/post/last-week-s-major-developments-in-sanctions-july-20-to-july-24-2026"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury press release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"credibility":2,"name":"March 2026: NBCTF Seizure of Hamas Wallets — Nominis","type":"research","url":"https://www.nominis.io/insights/march-2026-nbctf-seizure-of-hamas-wallets"}]},{"content":"As a result of the July 23, 2026 SDGT designation, all property and property interests of Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with al-Jebouri. The seven designated TRON addresses must be screened against by virtual asset service providers (VASPs), financial institutions, and other regulated entities with sanctions compliance obligations. Tether Limited froze the designated wallets at the smart contract level following the SDN listing, preventing further outflows. Compliance guidance published in the wake of the designation recommends that regulated entities conduct historical transaction lookback reviews against the designated addresses, update screening lists, and activate on-chain monitoring for any addresses with prior transaction history involving the seven SDN-listed wallets.","heading":"Compliance Obligations","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — July 23, 2026","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260723"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Update: Seven TRON Addresses Added to SDN List — Scorechain","type":"research","url":"https://www.scorechain.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-update-seven-tron-addresses-added-to-ofac-sdn-list-in-hamas-related"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Cryptocurrency Sanctions: A Practical Compliance Guide — FTFA-SAO","type":"other","url":"https://ftfa-sao.org/ofac-cryptocurrency-sanctions-a-practical-compliance-guide-for"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — July 23, 2026","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260723"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Hamas Crypto Wallets on TRON — Nominis","type":"research","url":"https://www.nominis.io/insights/ofac-sanctions-hamas-crypto-wallets-on-tron-while-nominis-flagged-them-six-months-prior"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Update: Seven TRON Addresses Added to SDN List — Scorechain","type":"research","url":"https://www.scorechain.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-update-seven-tron-addresses-added-to-ofac-sdn-list-in-hamas-related"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions Hamas Facilitators — Chainalysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-hamas-facilitators-illicit-finance-july-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Treasury Sanctions Turkish Hamas Financiers — FDD Long War Journal","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/07/analysis-us-treasury-sanctions-turkish-hamas-financiers-as-erdogan-presses-for-f-35s.php"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Disrupts Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Financial Networks — GlobalSecurity.org","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2026/07/sec-260723-treasury02.htm"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Hamas AML Alert — Cryptacount","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptacount.com/en/news/ofac-hamas-facilitators-tron-crypto-sanctions-july-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hamas Crypto Sanctions: How Hamas-related Crypto Addresses Got 160M USDT — Global Ledger","type":"research","url":"https://blog.globalledger.io/research-investigations/hamas-related-sanctions-why-proactive-compliance-matters-now-more-than-ever"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions (July 20–24, 2026) — SanctionsExpert","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.sanctionsexpert.com/post/last-week-s-major-developments-in-sanctions-july-20-to-july-24-2026"},{"credibility":2,"name":"March 2026: NBCTF Seizure of Hamas Wallets — Nominis","type":"research","url":"https://www.nominis.io/insights/march-2026-nbctf-seizure-of-hamas-wallets"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets Hamas Financiers Using TRON Wallets — Blockchain.News","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchain.news/news/ofac-sanctions-hamas-tron-wallets"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Cryptocurrency Sanctions: A Practical Compliance Guide — FTFA-SAO","type":"other","url":"https://ftfa-sao.org/ofac-cryptocurrency-sanctions-a-practical-compliance-guide-for"},{"credibility":1,"name":"NBCTF Cryptocurrency Seizure Orders — National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing of Israel","type":"regulatory","url":"https://nbctf.mod.gov.il/en/Minister%20Sanctions/PropertyPerceptions/Pages/Blockchain.aspx"}],"summary":"Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri is an Iraqi national, born October 3, 1988, who was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on July 23, 2026. He was sanctioned for his role as a shareholder in El-Kahira for General Trading, a Turkey-registered over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency exchange that OFAC determined had transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hamas and provided underground banking services to organized criminal networks. Seven TRON blockchain addresses attributed to al-Jebouri were added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list; those wallets had collectively received approximately $38.6 million in digital assets.","timeline":[{"date":"2021-02-08","event":"Earliest recorded on-chain activity detected on TRON wallets later attributed to al-Jebouri's SDN entry, according to Global Ledger blockchain analytics.","source":"Global Ledger research","source_url":"https://blog.globalledger.io/research-investigations/hamas-related-sanctions-why-proactive-compliance-matters-now-more-than-ever"},{"date":"2025-02-05","event":"Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) ordered seizure of crypto wallets and client accounts of the Dubai Company for Exchange, also known as El-Kahira for General Trading, citing substantial assistance to Hamas.","source":"Global Ledger research; NBCTF records","source_url":"https://blog.globalledger.io/research-investigations/hamas-related-sanctions-why-proactive-compliance-matters-now-more-than-ever"},{"date":"2026-01-01","event":"Israel's NBCTF issued a further seizure order naming El-Kahira for General Trading, preceding the U.S. designation by approximately six months.","source":"Treasury Department press release and related compliance reporting","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"date":"2026-07-23","event":"OFAC designated Zaid Issam Ahmed al-Jebouri, Abdulla Issam Ahmad al-Jebouri, and Khaldun Khamis Zakaria Alden as Specially Designated Global Terrorists; El-Kahira for General Trading was simultaneously designated. Seven TRON addresses attributed to Zaid al-Jebouri's SDN entry were listed. The action was announced under the counter-terrorism authority of Executive Order 13224.","source":"U.S. Department of the Treasury press release","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0572"},{"date":"2026-07-23","event":"Tether Limited froze the seven designated TRON wallets at the smart contract level following the SDN listing, blocking withdrawals. Approximately $600,000 USDT remained frozen in the wallets.","source":"Global Ledger research; Nominis analysis","source_url":"https://www.nominis.io/insights/ofac-sanctions-hamas-crypto-wallets-on-tron-while-nominis-flagged-them-six-months-prior"},{"date":"2026-07-27","event":"FDD published analysis framing the designation as part of a pattern of three OFAC enforcement rounds against Hamas's Turkish financial infrastructure in under two years, and noting its connection to ongoing U.S.-Turkey diplomatic tensions over F-35 sales.","source":"Foundation for Defense of Democracies / Long War Journal","source_url":"https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/07/analysis-us-treasury-sanctions-turkish-hamas-financiers-as-erdogan-presses-for-f-35s.php"}]},"v":1}