The Department of Justice and FBI disrupted Hamas fundraising by seizing more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations and taking control of related websites and communication platforms.

Hamas began testing virtual currency fundraising around 2019 via its Qassam Brigades, soliciting donations on Telegram and through direct online channels, aiming for contributions that could be hard to trace.

Investigators obtained information from thousands of individuals who had reached out to donate, as part of the operation.

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Reports indicate increased scrutiny for exchanges and wallet providers handling USDT, focusing on transactions that rotate addresses or originate from Treasury-sanctioned jurisdictions.

The seizures and related actions reflect a coordinated effort announced together, not a single raid carried out on a specific date.

The operation underscores that terrorist financing via cryptocurrency remains detectable through advanced blockchain analytics and has implications for crypto compliance and enforcement.

The report, released on a Tuesday, is part of ongoing efforts to disrupt online terrorist financing, as reported by the Associated Press.

Investigations trace roughly $560,000 in cryptocurrency across seizure warrants dated 2025, with five court-authorized actions between 2025 and 2026, including three crypto seizures and two infrastructure takedowns.

Earlier actions included a March 2025 seizure of about $201,400 linked to rotating wallet addresses that moved over $1.5 million since late 2024, using rapid wallet cycling with USDT as the primary token.

Donor instructions emphasized avoiding disclosure to exchanges, using fictitious recipient details, and frequently changing one-time-use wallet addresses, moving funds across networks to conceal origins.

The operation identified flows through multiple networks, including Tron and Binance Smart Chain, with disposable-style wallets used to obscure donor identities.