The armed wing of Hamas announced on Thursday April 27 that it would no longer accept cash donations in cryptocurrency. The ruling Islamist group in the Gaza Strip took the decision following increased repression by the Israeli authorities.
With our correspondent in Ramallah, Alice Froussard
“ We have made this decision after consideration for the safety of donors and to protect them from harm. “Says in a press release the armed branch of Hamas, the al-Qassam brigades. This decision comes following seizures or hostile activities against donors, she says.
Bitcoin, like other cryptocurrencies, is beyond the control of governments and central banks, unlike traditional currencies. This was until now a method favored by Hamas for several years, the party being designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.
Hamas had thus – since January 2019 – been using digital currency to overcome the financial blockade imposed by Israel and thus replenish the coffers of its armed wing.
It was therefore difficult for Israel to control all these transfers, the currencies being highly encrypted. Factions manage to create thousands of digital accounts to collect and manage funds with different names and addresses. Advanced technologies now make it possible to identify the sources of transfers. The Israeli army has not commented since this announcement.
In July 2021 and January 2022, Israel had already seized cryptocurrency from Hamas.