FBI Seizes $560,000 in Hamas Cryptocurrency, Takes Control of Fundraising Network

The FBI seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended for Hamas and took control of online infrastructure used by the terrorist organization to raise money and recruit supporters, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday.

The court-authorized operation targeted cryptocurrency addresses, domains and servers controlled by Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. Authorities said the seizures disrupted the group’s online fundraising network and gave investigators access to infrastructure used to collect donations.

The FBI also obtained information on thousands of people who contacted Hamas online seeking or attempting to donate through cryptocurrency and other methods. The Justice Department said investigators plan to use that information in future counterterrorism efforts.

According to court documents, Hamas directed supporters through an encrypted group chat to a fundraising website that provided a rotating series of cryptocurrency addresses. Investigators used information from multiple human sources to identify and trace funds moving through the network.

Authorities carried out several seizures over the course of the investigation, including operations in March, June and October 2025. Together, they recovered approximately $560,000 intended to support the Al-Qassam Brigades.

The FBI also seized domains and servers connected to AlQassam.ps, the military wing’s main website. Once authorities gained control of the infrastructure, they were able to intercept cryptocurrency donations that supporters believed they were sending to Hamas.

Hamas began experimenting with cryptocurrency fundraising around 2019, according to FBI affidavits. The organization promoted virtual currencies as a way for supporters to send money anonymously and outside traditional financial systems. It used Telegram and other online platforms to distribute instructions and cryptocurrency addresses to prospective donors.

Investigators made a significant breakthrough after identifying an online fundraising network linked to the Al-Qassam Brigades. A confidential source in the United States also alerted authorities to a Hamas-linked Telegram post soliciting cryptocurrency donations.

“Hamas relied on cryptocurrency and online platforms to solicit funds from donors around the world and move that money outside the formal financial system,” FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman said.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said the operation demonstrated that Hamas could not rely on cryptocurrency or online infrastructure to shield its fundraising activities from American authorities.