TL;DR: According to the Israeli Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center, last week “Hamas once again called on its supporters to donate to its military wing in the virtual currency Bitcoin. The funds raised are intended to support the jihad waged by Hamas against Israel (which is described as the enemy of the Arab and Muslim Nation).”

Hamas Again Calls for Bitcoin Donations

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center believes a spokesman for the military wing of Hamas is in the process of sending “hundreds of millions of messages in eight languages to the smartphones of millions of Arabs and Muslims in order to promote donations.” Hamas’s reported announcement also included links to donation pages in Arabic, English, Turkish, French, Malaysian, Indonesian and Russian. Appealing for funds in cryptocurrency is a sign of “economic distress,” the intelligence outfit insists.

The Israel-aligned intelligence center was established in 2002, and is widely considered to have an unofficial relationship with Israel Defense Forces and the American Jewish Congress. It is on the hawkish side of an ongoing debate within the country and around the world as to how best deal with broader Middle East questions. Hamas was founded in 1987, and serves as a defacto governing authority in the contested Gaza Strip. In addition to its military activities, it also has a social service function among Palestinians. The US, Israel, and European Union regard it as a mostly terrorist organization, though Turkey, China, and Russia disagree.

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida allegedly “published an announcement on his Telegram account, calling on the public to aid Hamas ‘with the digital currency’ (meaning Bitcoin),” the Israeli intelligence center insisted. “This aid, he says, is intended to support Hamas in its ongoing struggle against Israel, which he describes as ‘the No. 1 enemy of the Arab and Muslim Nation.’ Abu Obeida adds that on June 3, 2019, Hamas’s military wing will start to send millions of ‘authentic messages’ in eight different languages to the smartphones of millions of people of the Arab and Muslim Nation.”

The Hamas-associated donation page explained, “The Israeli occupation is fighting the resistance by trying hard to block any support for it, but the resistance’s friends around the world are fighting back against such Israeli attempts and seeking all possible ways to support the resistance. Your generous donation, no matter how little it is, reflects your stand by Palestinian people We call upon all friends of the Palestinians and supporters of our just cause to financially back the resistance via Bitcoin on the following wallet address.” This is at least the second time Hamas has appealed for donations in cryptocurrency, as CoinSpice documented back in late January.

DISCLOSURE: The author holds cryptocurrency as part of his financial portfolio, including BCH.

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