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7h05 ▪6min read ▪ byAriela R.
Getting informed▪Centralized Exchange (CEX)Summarize this article with:
In a letter submitted to a U.S. court file opened by the FBI, the armed wing of Hamas snubs Binance. The Al-Qassam Brigades recommend that their donors route their crypto funds through Bybit, OKX, or RedotPay rather than through the world’s leading crypto platform (considered too risky). Certainly, this instruction dates from 2025. Nevertheless, it raises a question today about control over crypto exchanges and the traceability of funds.
In Brief
- A letter from Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, advises against Binance for crypto donations.
- The group instead recommends Bybit, OKX, Kast, and RedotPay for routing crypto funds.
- The document, dated February 10, 2025, was revealed on September 16, 2026, by the DoJ.
- The U.S. Treasury estimates crypto flows linked to Hamas at $165 million before October 2023.
- Binance claims this exclusion proves the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering controls.
Why Does the Al-Qassam Brigades Distrust Binance for Its Crypto Transfers ?
The message dates from February 10, 2025. An informant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received it from the Al-Qassam Brigades. The document was then made public on September 16, 2026, by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) as part of a asset seizure warrant filed in early September. Currently, the case is before the federal court of the District of Columbia in Washington.
In the section dedicated to crypto donations, the armed wing of Hamas sends a clear message: it is preferable to not use the Binance crypto exchange to transfer funds. Al-Qassam also recommends not providing any real identity information about the recipient. The goal: to avoid the blocking of the digital wallet. The instruction even goes as far as suggesting to provide false information about the transfer beneficiary.
Good to know: on March 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announcedapproximately $201,400 in crypto seized in an investigation involving over $1.5 million since October 2024. It mentioned at least 17 collection addresses. But that’s not all! A blockchain analysis shows that the address announced as usable only once actually received 34 deposits between February 11 and 21. The total crypto donations amount to 25,211 USDT.
These details are especially important as they contradict the promise of security in Hamas’s message.
https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/2100246687000190987%20
Bybit, OKX, Kast, RedotPay: The Exchanges Now Favored by Hamas
Rather than Binance, the Al-Qassam Brigades promote other crypto exchanges. The list includes:
- Bybit;
- OKX;
- Kast;
- RedotPay;
- the Trust Wallet app.
The letter even specifies a workaround method: Binance can be used only to purchase currencies, then another application must be used to finalize the crypto transfer.
Start your crypto adventure safely with OKXThis link uses an affiliate program.
Hamas also relies on Tether’s USDT stablecoin deliveredreation and circulation of fungible tokens on the Tron blockchain
Crypto analysts agree on one point: this choice is no accident. The fact is that stablecoins offer:
- a stable value;
- reduced transaction fees;
- global liquidity.
Which makes them a favorite laundering tool for both legitimate actors and sanctioned groups alike. For example, USDT is now at the center of a new bet by the largest Russian bank. For several years, Russia has been subject to various international sanctions.
Binance and Other Crypto Players Cited in the Case Responded Quickly!
According to Noah Perlman, compliance director at Binance, the fact that a terrorist group recommends avoiding Binance actually demonstrates that its monitoring mechanisms work. He recalls that the crypto platform invests heavily in:
- sanctions filtering;
- monitoring of crypto transactions;
- cooperation with judicial authorities.
https://twitter.com/NoahBPerlman/status/2100252669734445069%20
For its part, OKX states that the wallet address mentioned in the letter had already been identified internally as linked to illicit activity. Any attempt to transfer crypto to it would therefore have been automatically blocked.
The crypto exchange Kast highlights a compliance team of over 50 people as well as technological partnerships with Elliptic, Sumsub, and Sardine. Their mission: to ensure identity verification and detect suspicious flows.
Bybit declined to comment, while RedotPay did not respond to requests.
Millions of Dollars in Crypto Linked to Hamas Funding
In October 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported a notable fact: wallets linked to Hamas received about $41 million in crypto between 2020 and 2023. The same newspaper then mentioned a U.S. Treasury investigation involving $165 million in crypto transactions that may have contributed to financing the group before the attacks on October 7, 2023.
In its 2026 assessment of terrorist financing risks, the Treasury also confirms that Hamas and the Islamic State continue to use digital assets for certain donations and transfers. However, it specifies that traditional financial channels remain by far the preferred route for these groups.
Upstream, U.S. authorities seized more than $560,000 in crypto assets linked to Hamas. Binance itself is currently facing a lawsuit filed by victims of the October 7 attacks.
In any case, this court file reveals a simple reality: the more a crypto platform strengthens its compliance, the more illicit actors circumvent it. Binance, OKX, and other crypto exchanges will now have to deal with increased scrutiny while the investigation into flows linked to Hamas continues.
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Ariela R.
My name is Ariela, and I am 31 years old. I have been working in the field of web writing for 7 years now. I only discovered trading and cryptocurrency a few years ago, but it is a universe that greatly interests me. The topics covered on the platform allow me to learn more. A singer in my spare time, I also cultivate a great passion for music and reading (and animals!)
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
Source: www.cointribune.com