Israel seizes cryptocurrency accounts linked to Hamas

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Israel seizes cryptocurrency accounts linked to Hamas

Israeli authorities reportedly 'located and froze' cryptocurrency accounts belonging to the Hamas group with assistance from Binance, local media outlet Calcalist reported on Oct.10.

Israel's Lahav 433 police unit collaborated with the nation's defense minister and other intelligence agencies to track the group's cryptocurrency donations, which were subsequently transferred to the state treasury.

The total amount of cryptocurrency seized from these wallets was not disclosed.

The Israeli government has not been the first time the Israeli authorities have seized crypto-related accounts of the Hamas group. In April, authorities seized 190 Binance accounts that have been linked to the Islamic terrorist groups since 2021.

Israel also seized at least $33,500 and $750,000 of digital currencies from Hamas-linked cryptocurrency wallets, which have been linked to the Hamas network.

On Monday, the Hamas group attacked Israel, resulting in multiple losses of lives and properties. In response, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was in a war to ensure its survival. He compared the Hamas group attack with those of the Islamic terrorist group, Islamic State.

Binance's disciplinary actions, dating back to March, suggest that Binance executives were engaged in deliberate discussions and approvals of transactions related to Hamas, according to the U.S. Commodities Futures and Trading Commission.

Binance has yet to answer CryptoSlate's request for comment on its role in the seizure.