U.S. affiliate of charity that called Hamas 'freedom fighters' still holds tax-exempt status

An international charity that has an American affiliate that enjoys U.S. tax-exempt status has apparent ties to designated terrorist groups, and openly called Hamas "freedom fighters" in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 atrocities in Israel.

Dompet Dhuafa USA, registered in Richmond, Virginia, is a nonprofit that describes itself as “inspired by Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation,” a broader foundation with ties to terrorist groups, including leadership overlap. 

The main Dompet Dhuafa organization was founded in 1993 in South Jakarta, Indonesia, purportedly to provide charitable funds to promote health, education, economic empowerment and more throughout Indonesia. It also has multiple affiliates in other countries, including the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.

When the U.S. affiliate began operating in 2014, its CEO was listed as Haryo Mojopahit, a senior executive at the Indonesian headquarters. The U.S. affiliate also appears to coordinate its work with other Dompet Dhuafa branches around the world. Dompet has referred to Hamas as “Palestinian freedom fighters" and their webpage justifies the October 7, 2023 rape and murder of Israeli citizens as "reaction to a series of violent acts from Israeli settlers against Palestinians." 

Dompet USA did not respond to a Just The News inquiry prior to press time.

Merciful Hands once affiliated with Hamas/Al-Qassam Brigades

Beginning in at least 2021, Dompet has partnered with an organization called Merciful Hands Charity in Gaza. The partnership apparently ended at some point in 2024, and Merciful Hands was sanctioned by the U.S. government in January 2026 as a Hamas/Al-Qassam Brigades supporting charity.

Al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of Hamas. Though Dompet’s partnership ended before the sanction, it was close to Merciful Hands as the sanctioned organization showed visible indicators of Hamas influence. For example, in July 2024, Merciful Hands celebrated the release of the al-Shifa Medical Complex director after he had been arrested at the beginning of the Israel-Palestine war.

In a post on X, Merciful Hands posted a photo of Muhammad Abu Nar, described as a director for the organization. The post mourned Abu Nar as a “martyr.” Abu Nar was also identified as a commander within Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades medical apparatus. CNN reported that Nar was killed: "According to unofficial lists of those killed circulated on Arabic-language media and social media, Mohamed Ahmad Abu Nar died alongside his wife and child in Israel’s Nuseirat operation." 

In March 2022, Merciful Hands Gaza posted an image from an event honoring wounded individuals that shows Hamas flags and logos on stage, with numerous participants even wearing Hamas-branded scarves.

Even before Dompet partnered with Merciful Hands, the sanctioned organization held an event in 2017 featuring former Hamas leader Ahmed Behar as a speaker. Behar, who was at one point the terrorist group’s No. 3, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023.

In 2013, a Gaza news report described an even attended by then-Prime Minister of Gaza Ismail Haniyeh. The report also praises Ahmed Jabari, identified as deputy commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, and credits him with establishing Merciful Hands as an organization for wounded “mujahideen” – those who engage in jihad.

Ghirass for Society Development Affiliation

Dompet also has an affiliation with Ghirass for Society Development, a group with links to the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood. In November 2023, Dompet published a report saying that it had partnered with Ghirass to provide “food, mineral water, medical kits, and winter supplies” to Gaza from Egypt. Dompet Dhuafa’s logo also appears on Ghirass’ website as a “valued partner.”

Between 2014 and 2023, Ziad Taktak reportedly served as the executive director of Ghirass, and as the general manager between 2024 and 2026. In January 2024, Taktak gave a speech at the funeral of Hamas military commander Mahmoud Shahin, who was killed alongside Saleh al-Arouri – founding member of al-Qassam – at an event attended by Hamas and Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood representatives.

American tax interests at stake, channeled through USAID

At the end of May, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, released a memo revealing that the Biden-Harris administration provided American tax dollars to non-government organizations (NGOs) that opposed a policy by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The funds were provided by the U.S. through the now defunct USAID agency. “The Committee’s oversight … has revealed that the Biden-Harris Administration provided grant funds to groups that contributed directly and indirectly to the judicial reform protests that sought to undermine the Israeli government,” the memo said.

In June 2025, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five “sham charities” that were providing funding to Hamas.