US Seizes Over Half Million in Crypto Donations Meant for Hamas

The U.S. Justice Department has seized over $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations intended for Hamas, according to an announcement by the department on Tuesday.

The funds were meant to support the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and were solicited through Telegram channels and direct online fundraising. FBI affidavits reveal that Hamas officials boasted about the untraceable nature of cryptocurrency donations and provided instructions for making anonymous contributions.

A major investigative breakthrough came when an FBI confidential source in the United States alerted law enforcement to a Telegram post seeking donations to an email address associated with Hamas. As a result, the department seized the funds, took control of website domains and communication platforms used for fundraising and recruitment, and obtained information about thousands of people who contacted Hamas with intentions to donate.

'My message to Hamas is clear: your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated,' said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in a video statement announcing the operation.