Restrictions imposed on the support network for Palestinian prisoners amid increasing pressure since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza.

The United States has imposed sanctions against the Samidoun Palestinian prisoner support network, accusing the organization of being a “fake charity” that raises funds for a blacklisted left-wing Palestinian political faction.

In a statement released Tuesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said Samidoun acted as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Washington has labeled a “terrorist” group.

“Organizations like Samidoun pose as charitable actors who claim to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, but in reality divert funds from much-needed aid to support terrorist groups,” said Bradley Smith, head of the Trésor, in the press release.

The U.S. sanctions were imposed in coordination with the Canadian government, which designated Samidoun a “terrorist entity” on Tuesday.

Canada said the group “maintains close ties and defends the interests” of the PFLP, which is also listed as a “terrorist” organization in the country.

“Violent extremism, acts of terrorism or the financing of terrorism have no place in Canadian society or abroad. The listing of Samidoun as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate this type of activity,” said Dominic Leblanc, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, in a statement.

Samidoun did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Tuesday’s sanctions and the “terrorist” designation.

On its website, Samidoun – also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network – describes itself as “an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom “.

“We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners and their homeland,” it reads.

Pro-Israeli groups in North America and Europe have been pushing for years to have Samidoun listed as a “terrorist” group.

But the organization has come under renewed scrutiny in recent months during mass protests in Canada, the United States and elsewhere against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 42,200 Palestinians in the besieged enclave since early October 2023.

Just weeks after the Israeli army bombed Gaza late last year, Germany – a staunch ally of Israel – banned Samidoun after it said the group was spreading “anti-Israeli propaganda and anti-Jewish” and “glorified” the Palestinian group Hamas.

In a statement at the time, Samidoun rejected the German ban as an attempt to “suppress dissent with the full force of the state.”

“This attack should seriously concern all those engaged in political work, particularly for Palestinian liberation,” the group said.

On Tuesday, the United States also designated a Canadian citizen who it said is a member of the PFLP’s overseas leadership and helps raise funds for the group.

U.S. sanctions freeze the assets of targeted individuals and organizations in the country and prevent any U.S. citizen or entity from doing business with them.