Hamas military wing stops receiving funds in Bitcoin over 'donor safety' concerns

Hamas's military wing said Thursday that it would stop receiving funds in Bitcoin due to donor safety concerns.

Hamas's Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement: "We announce a stop to receiving financial donations through the Bitcoin digital currency to ensure the safety of donors and protect them from any harm."

This comes "especially in light of the intensification of prosecution and the redoubling of hostile efforts against anyone who tries to support the resistance through this currency," it said.

Bitcoin, the world's best-known cryptocurrency, is free from the control of governments and central banks, unlike traditional currencies. This makes it an attractive way of raising funds for organisations like Hamas, which is outlawed in countries including Israel, the US and the UK.

The Qassam Brigades thanked "our people and our Arabic and Islamic ummah [community] and the free people of the world for their continued material support for the Palestinian resistance and for standing by it in various phases".

"We ask Allah to put their financial jihad on their scale of deeds and to increase their rewards," the group said.

It called for donations to continue through other means.

The Israeli army has announced the freezing of cryptocurrency wallets on more than one occasion, alleging they belong to Hamas's armed wing, The New Arab's Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The Qassam Brigades called in January 2019 for supporters around the world to send them Bitcoin.

Hamas rules the Gaza Strip, which Israel has blockaded since 2007 in a siege that has caused severe suffering to the enclave's Palestinian inhabitants.

Israel and Hamas have fought in several military escalations over the years.

These conflicts have led to many deaths of Palestinians in the besieged enclave, with a smaller number of Israelis also killed.