Bitcoin
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The Hamas terrorist group on Tuesday called on supporters to send it funds via Bitcoin as it attempts to deal with its financial isolation.

A spokesman for the group’s so-called “military wing” sent out a message calling for support to be sent in the virtual currency, AFP reported.

"Support the resistance financially through the Bitcoin currency," the spokesman said, adding the exact mechanism would be announced later.

While Hamas runs Gaza, having taken it over violently from its rival Fatah group, it is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and others.

It has faced financial woes in recent years as banks have sought to ensure they have no dealings with the organization.

Tuesday’s statement accused Israel of seeking to cut Hamas's access to finance.

Bitcoin has faced criticism in the past over underground websites where people have used the currency to buy drugs and guns.

There was no immediate reply from Bitcoin.

Iran is known to be a supporter of Hamas, which just a few weeks ago announced that it had allocated new homes funded by Iran in Gaza to terrorists who had been held in Israeli jails.

Interestingly enough, Egypt’s Grand Mufti last year weighed in on the phenomenon of cryptocurrency and said that trading in Bitcoin is unlawful in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.