Palestinian Journalist Hussam Al-Dajany, who also lectures at Gaza Open University, said in a Jan. 30 interview on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas/Gaza) that Hamas is accepting bitcoin donations.
He said that bitcoin is an opportunity to unite people who are afraid to or cannot openly support the Palestinian resistance because it is safe and reliable, and it cannot be tracked by security agencies. He explained that money is what the resistance needs the most, and that it is costs millions of dollars to pay salaries, manufacture rockets, smuggle weapons, dig tunnels and build drones.
He added that despite Iran’s open support of the Palestinian resistance, the sanctions imposed on it may prevent enough money from getting to Hamas, so bitcoin is being resorted to as an indirect way for people to “participate in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Following are excerpts:
Hussam Al-Dajany: When Gaza came under siege in 2007 or 2008, [Hamas circumvented the problem] using tunnels. Today, every possible means is being used to dry up the funding of the resistance. This is where the creative idea [to accept donations in Bitcoin] comes in. The resistance sees this as an opportunity to unite the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation. … Not only Muslims, but also the Christians and people of other religions, as well as the free people of the world who believe in the just Palestinian cause. This is a safe and reliable way for them to donate to the resistance. That is the most important and remarkable feature of this virtual currency. People who donate using this currency cannot be identified by any security agency.
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Perhaps Arabs, Muslims and other people on planet Earth are afraid to donate to Hamas since it is on the list of terrorist organizations and because some countries persecute whoever donates to such organizations. So [bitcoin] is a safe and important means of donation.
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This call [by Hamas] may find great response from many people who want to take part in the resistance but cannot do so due to geographical or geopolitical considerations. This way, they can indirectly participate in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They can support the resistance and the liberation project in a different way. Money is what the resistance needs most.
[…]
When you manufacture a rocket, bring in weapons, dig a tunnel, or manufacture a drone, it costs the resistance millions of dollars. When Israel bombs a tunnel, it needs to be rebuilt. This leads to continuous attrition. Forty or fifty thousand fighters have families and they need salaries, in order to, at least, sustain their basic day-to-day life. Where will all this money come from? Unfortunately, the only state that supports us and is not ashamed of it is Iran. In light of the siege on Iran, its support may not be enough. Therefore, the resistance has resorted to the bitcoin virtual currency.