ALBUQUERQUE — The US Department of Justice took control of domains and servers used by Hamas to raise money and recruit supporters. The FBI confiscated $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended for Hamas.

The seized infrastructure and cryptocurrency addresses were controlled by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The seized domains included alqassam.ps, the main website of the Al-Qassam Brigades. The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office carried out the seizure in collaboration with human sources. The seizures were authorized by a court.

US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro issued a direct warning regarding the operation. "A message to Hamas: We will stop your fundraising for terror," Pirro said. She added that the group's digital defenses had been compromised. "Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated," she said.

Assistant Attorney-General for National Security John Eisenberg described the impact of the action on the organization's capabilities. "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," he said. He stated that the department would maintain pressure on the group's financial channels. "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 said.

FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman addressed the broader strategy for intercepting funds. "We will continue to use our authorities to intercept illicit funds and prevent terrorist organizations from exploiting digital networks to finance their operations," Leatherman said. The Department of Justice obtained information about thousands of people who had contacted Hamas with the goal of giving money to the group.

Hamas relies on cryptocurrency and online platforms to solicit funds from donors around the world and move that money outside the formal financial system. The Justice Department disrupted an ongoing terrorist financing scheme by seizing approximately $201,400 in cryptocurrency held in wallets and accounts intended to benefit Hamas. Hamas solicited donations on its Telegram channel and used direct online fundraising.

Why It Matters

The disruption targets a funding model that Hamas began testing virtual currency fundraising in or around early 2019 through its Qassam Brigades. A confidential source located in the United States alerted law enforcement to a Telegram post asking for contributions to an email address associated with Hamas on January 1, 2025. This intelligence allowed authorities to identify specific digital assets and communication channels used for financial transfers.

The public announcements cite two different cryptocurrency totals, leaving open how the discrepancy between the $560,000 and $201,400 figures resolves. Academic context for the conflict includes research titled "Palestinian refugees in the context of the Hamas–Israel war in Gaza: an analysis through the lens of transitional justice" which was published in 2024 in Pathways to Peace and Security.

Timeline

Hamas began testing virtual currency fundraising in or around early 2019 through its Qassam Brigades. On September 2, 2026, US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro stated, "A message to Hamas: We will stop your fundraising for terror." Also on September 2, 2026, Pirro said, "Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated." The US Department of Justice took control of domains and servers used by Hamas to raise money and recruit supporters on September 2, 2026. On that same date, Assistant Attorney-General for National Security John 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." Eisenberg also stated on September 2, 2026, "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." The FBI confiscated $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended for Hamas on September 2, 2026.

What's New

Later reporting indicates that research titled Palestinian refugees in the context of the Hamas–Israel war in Gaza: an analysis through the lens of transitional justice was published in 2024 in Pathways to Peace and Security. Additional details show the Justice Department disrupted an ongoing terrorist financing scheme by seizing approximately $201,400 in cryptocurrency held in wallets and accounts intended to benefit Hamas. Records further establish that Hamas began testing virtual currency fundraising in or around early 2019 through its Qassam Brigades.

A confidential source located in the United States alerted law enforcement to a Telegram post asking for contributions to an email address associated with Hamas. Background information confirms that Al-Qassam Brigades is military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization.