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    <p>In a letter to the White House sent on Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers warned that Hamas has funded its attack on Israel through crypto — and that the Biden administration must swiftly take action to curb its effectiveness.</p>
    <p>Led by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall, and Representative Sean Caster, over 100 lawmakers signed a document condemning <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="Hamas" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/hamas.html">Hamas</a> and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in their use of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a> to fund terrorist acts and evade US sanctions. The letter, sent to the US Treasury Department and the White House, described “grave concern” about <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="Hamas" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/hamas.html">Hamas</a>’ operations — and requested that Biden’s administration share figures on the extent of its dependence on <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a>.</p>
    <p>The bipartisan group of lawmakers want to know how much crypto remains in Hamas-controlled wallets, how much the militant group relies on crypto to fund operations, and information about the entities and individuals facilitating its crypto use.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>“Congress and this administration must take strong action to thoroughly address crypto illicit finance risks before it can be used to finance another tragedy,” the letter said.</p>
    <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hamas-has-raised-at-least-44m-in-crypto-in-past-two-years">Hamas has raised at least $44M in crypto in past two years</h2>
    <p>The letter comes swiftly on the heels of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="Israel" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/israel.html">Israel</a>i police announcing another seizure of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a> wallets belonging to <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="Hamas" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/hamas.html">Hamas</a>. International sanctions have forced it to rely on digital assets for years to fund its operations. Recent reports indicate that the militant group has raised $41 million in <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a>currency between August 2021 and June 2023, according to <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a> analytics firm BitOK. Additionally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is estimated to have received $93 million in funding within the same time frame.</p>
    <p>Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown has already vowed to look into crypto’s role in the Israel-Hamas war. However, the letter also comes amid a growing rally by Senator Warren to pass a bill that would tighten anti-money laundering rules for crypto in the US — a bill facing pushback from crypto firms. Warren’s recent attempts to align crypto legislation with Hamas have ignited the bill’s potential.&nbsp;</p>
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       Binance allegedly facilitated Hamas — now it’s helping Israel seize its crypto
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    <p><em>Read more: Palestinian jihadists received USDT via Binance, says Israel</em></p>
    <p>“The danger of crypto-financed terrorism is real and should be an urgent priority for Congress,” Warren said in an interview (via Politico). “There’s a growing bipartisan coalition of senators who are committed to passing this bill and fighting back against terrorism worldwide by choking off the financing.”</p>
    <p>President Biden has travelled to Israel where he is set to meet with prime minister Netanyahu later today. A scheduled summit in Jordan with Palestinian and Egyptian leaders has been cancelled after a hospital in Gaza was struck by missiles, killing at least 500. Israel has been accused by Hamas of being behind the attack — but officials deny responsibility and instead say that the missile was misfired by Palestinian Islamic Jihadists in Gaza.</p>
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<p>Source: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thebittimes.com/white-house-urged-to-curb-hamas-crypto-use-amid-escalating-crisis-in-gaza-tbt66827.html">https://thebittimes.com/white-house-urged-to-curb-hamas-crypto-use-amid-escalating-crisis-in-gaza-tbt66827.html</a></p>

White House urged to curb Hamas crypto use amid escalating crisis in Gaza

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