Abstract:
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 2 that it had seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency funds flowing to Hamas and had taken control of the domain names and servers used by the organization to fundraise and recruit supporters. FBI agents took over websites such as Alqassam.ps and related servers to intercept donations and prevent further fundraising.
According to five affidavits released by the Department of Justice, three of which were signed on March 25, June 25, and October 10, 2025, involving search warrants for cryptocurrency, the total amount seized was $560,000. The other two were signed on July 29 and August 18, 2026, and involved the seizure of network infrastructure.
Investigators used human intelligence sources to identify and track rotating crypto wallet addresses promoted by Hamas through encrypted group chats and fundraising websites, court documents show. The first operation recovered approximately $201,400 from an associated system that had diverted more than $1.5 million since October 2024, the Justice Department reported at the time. The relevant address is said to be controlled by the Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas.
The FBI also seized the domain name and server of the organization’s main website, Alqassam.ps, allowing it to intercept subsequent encrypted donations. The Justice Department said the operation gave investigators information on thousands of people who contacted Hamas-related platforms seeking donations through encrypted or traditional payment methods.
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