US authorities have seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended for Hamas and taken control of websites and online infrastructure allegedly used by the group to raise funds and recruit supporters.
The Justice Department said on Tuesday, September 1, that the court-authorised operation targeted cryptocurrency addresses, domains and servers controlled by Hamas’s military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades. Investigators also obtained information about thousands of people who had contacted the organisation in an attempt to donate. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-continues-disrupt-hamas-terrorist-financing-schemes-through-seizures?utm_source=openai))
Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said: “A message to Hamas: We will stop your fundraising for terror. Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated.” ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-continues-disrupt-hamas-terrorist-financing-schemes-through-seizures?utm_source=openai))
According to affidavits filed by the FBI, the Al Qassam Brigades began testing cryptocurrency fundraising in early 2019. Donations were solicited through Telegram and websites, with instructions intended to help supporters make anonymous payments.
The investigation gathered pace in February 2025, when an FBI confidential source in the US alerted agents to a Telegram post directing potential donors to an email address linked to Hamas. Investigators later traced and seized the funds under warrants issued on March 25, June 25 and October 10, 2025. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/media/1459681/dl?inline=&utm_source=openai))
The FBI’s Albuquerque field office also worked with sources to seize domains and servers connected to the Al Qassam Brigades’ main website, AlQassam.ps. The department said the action enabled agents to intercept donations and gather information for future counter-terrorism investigations. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-continues-disrupt-hamas-terrorist-financing-schemes-through-seizures?utm_source=openai))
Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, said the bureau would continue using its powers to intercept illicit funds and stop terrorist organisations exploiting digital networks to finance their operations.
Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment.
