DOJ seizes $560K in cryptocurrency allegedly intended for Hamas, disrupts online recruitment network
Investigators also obtained identities of thousands who allegedly tried to donate to the terrorist organization
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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) this week announced the seizure of more than $550,000 in cryptocurrency donations and the disruption of recruitment websites connected to terrorist organization Hamas.
Through court-authorized seizures, the FBI seized approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency and took control of domains and servers Hamas was allegedly using to raise money and recruit supporters, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
"A message to Hamas: We will stop your fundraising for terror," Pirro said in a statement. "Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated."
In a video posted on X, Pirro described the operation as a "massive blow against foreign terrorism" that would disrupt Hamas' online recruitment efforts.
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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the seizure of approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency allegedly intended to support Hamas and warned the terrorist organization that its networks are "not secure." (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"By seizing their servers and their domains, we were able to directly intercept money that was going to be used by the military wing of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigade," she said.
"And to add a little more interest to this, we also now have the names and identities of thousands of individuals who tried to give money to Hamas that we were able to intercept," she continued.
According to federal court documents, investigators became aware of a group chat claiming ties to Hamas on an encrypted communications platform that was directing supporters of the terrorist organization to a fundraising website and a rotating set of cryptocurrency donation addresses.
Prosecutors said investigators used information from multiple human sources on three separate occasions — March 25, June 25 and Oct. 10, 2025 — to identify, trace and seize approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended to support Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades.
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Federal investigators identified, traced and seized approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency allegedly intended to support Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades, prosecutors said. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Justice Department said the FBI also used human sources to identify and seize domains and servers used by the group. After taking control of the online infrastructure, the FBI was able to intercept cryptocurrency donations allegedly intended for Hamas, according to the DOJ.
Throughout the investigation, the FBI also obtained information on thousands of individuals who allegedly contacted Hamas online to donate or attempt to donate to the terrorist organization.
The DOJ said that information will be used in the FBI's ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described the operation targeting Hamas-linked fundraising and recruitment infrastructure as a "massive blow against foreign terrorism." (Fox News / Fox News)
"These seizures deprive Hamas of resources it relies on to recruit and radicalize individuals online and finance barbaric attacks like the one on October 7, 2023," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said.
"We will continue to tighten the vise on Hamas's capacity for terror by infiltrating its online networks, confiscating its cryptocurrency, and shutting down its websites," he added.