FBI Disrupts Hamas Crypto Fundraising Network, Seizes Funds

The U.S. Department of Justice revealed details of an international financial and technological pursuit targeting Hamas's fundraising apparatus. The FBI successfully seized over $560,000 in cryptocurrency, disrupted servers and domains belonging to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and gathered intelligence on thousands of individuals worldwide who attempted to donate to the organization. While donations were framed as humanitarian aid, evidence indicates the funds were intended to bolster the military and terrorist capabilities of Hamas, the group responsible for the October 7th attacks.

The investigation, led by the FBI's Albuquerque field office, utilized federal warrants issued between March 2025 and August of the same year. Although no arrests were made in the U.S. at this stage, the operation allowed authorities to infiltrate the fundraising infrastructure, track donations, seize communication channels, and intercept funds destined for Hamas. The al-Qassam Brigades had experimented with Bitcoin fundraising since 2019 and intensified their crypto operations after October 7th, shifting to the stablecoin USDT on the Tron network. This specific network, active from October 2024 to November 2025, reportedly received over $3 million.

The FBI's investigation uncovered a complex global network involving digital wallets, cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance and BTCTurk, and private exchangers, with activity traced from Israel and Gaza to Turkey, Egypt, Oman, and the Netherlands. One Binance account, linked to a Palestinian with Israeli and Gaza IP connections, received over $106,000 before being frozen. Another breakthrough came when the FBI traced a Gmail account used by an individual identified as "Funder 2" to a crypto exchange, leading to the acquisition of crucial information about the network's operational "gas wallet" used for transfer fees.

Efforts to evade detection included moving servers from Iran to the U.S. and then to Brazil, but the FBI ultimately seized the domains and servers. The FBI stated its primary goal was to reduce Hamas's ability to receive donations and foster distrust between the organization and its donors. "Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated," stated U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Janeen Pirro.