Hamas Told Donors to Avoid Binance and Use Bybit, OKX and Other Crypto Platforms

TLDR

• Hamas military wing Al-Qassam Brigades advised donors to avoid Binance for fund transfers
• The group recommended Trust Wallet, Bybit, OKX, Kast and Redotpay instead
• Donors were told to use USDT on the TRC-20 network via an external TRON wallet
• Binance said the warning proves its compliance controls are working
• OKX said the referenced wallet had already been flagged by its internal systems

Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, told potential donors to avoid using Binance when sending funds to the group. The guidance appeared in a U.S. Department of Justice asset-forfeiture filing dated September 9, 2026.

Hamas’ military wing advised crypto donors to avoid Binance, according to an FBI affidavit

The al-Qassam Brigades’ February 2025 email to an FBI source named; Bybit, OKX, Kast, RedotPay, and Trust Wallet as alternatives for sending $USDT on Tron. It surfaced in a recent DOJ… pic.twitter.com/v1Uqy8pWdi

— BSCN (@BSCNews) September 16, 2026

The letter, attributed to Al-Qassam Brigades, named Trust Wallet, Bybit, OKX, Kast and Redotpay as preferred alternatives. Donors were told to transfer Tether’s USDT stablecoin using the TRC-20 network to an external TRON wallet.

The filing offers a rare look at how a sanctioned militant group tried to move money while avoiding detection. The group specifically told donors not to include any official names in transfer details, citing safety concerns.

Binance was not completely ruled out. The letter said Binance could be used to buy crypto, but donors should then move funds through a different app before completing the transfer.

Exchanges Push Back on the Findings

Binance’s chief compliance officer Noah Perlman said the warning from Hamas actually validates the platform’s efforts. “When terrorist groups tell people to avoid Binance, it shows our controls are working,” he said.

OKX confirmed that the wallet address referenced in the February 2025 communication had no connection to its platform. The exchange said its internal systems had already flagged the address as linked to illicit activity before the filing became public.

Kast said all customers go through identity verification and screening before accessing services. The company said it uses tools from Elliptic, Sumsub and Sardine for sanctions screening and transaction monitoring.

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Bybit declined to comment. Redotpay did not respond to requests for comment.

It is important to note that a company being named in such communications does not mean it has weak compliance systems or knowingly helped any prohibited activity.

US Enforcement Background

The disclosure comes as U.S. authorities have stepped up efforts to combat crypto-linked terrorist financing, particularly following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that crypto wallets linked to Hamas received around $41 million between 2020 and 2023. The U.S. Treasury has also investigated $165 million in crypto-linked transactions potentially tied to Hamas financing before the 2023 attacks.

Treasury’s 2026 terrorist-financing risk assessment confirmed Hamas and ISIS have continued using digital assets. However, it noted that traditional financial services remain the main channel for terrorist money movement globally.

The case highlights the ongoing challenge exchanges face in preventing sanctioned groups from using their platforms, even when they are not directly named as cooperating parties.

Enforcement agencies continue to monitor and seize digital assets connected to organizations on the U.S. sanctions list.