According to the Financial Times, over 300 victims and family members of the victims of the terrorist attack that occurred in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against Changpeng Zhao. According to the plaintiffs' statement, Binance facilitated transactions totaling over $1 billion for Hamas and other organizations that are under U.S. sanctions, as reported by Forbes.ru.
According to information from the Financial Times, the lawsuit against Changpeng Zhao was filed after the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, as clarified by Bloomberg. It claims that Binance conducted transactions totaling over $50 million for accounts linked to Hamas and other terrorist groups.
The document filed in the federal court of North Dakota presents facts about a greater number of transactions with Hamas than those disclosed by U.S. authorities in 2023, when Binance admitted to violating anti-money laundering laws and agreed to pay a fine of $4.3 billion. Changpeng Zhao was also sentenced to four months for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations but was pardoned by Donald Trump in October 2025, as noted by the FT.
The newspaper points out that the new allegations go beyond the previously raised claims by U.S. prosecutors. The victims' lawyers argue that Binance assisted in conducting financial operations with wallets that were linked to organizations from Gaza, which the exchange should have been aware of.
The lawsuit also claims that Binance sent the equivalent of over $300 million to the specified wallets before the attacks and over $115 million afterward. In response to the allegations, the company stated that it cannot comment on ongoing legal proceedings but emphasized that it complies with international sanctions laws, just like other financial institutions.
Furthermore, as reported by the FT, Changpeng Zhao and Binance are already facing another lawsuit in New York, where they are accused of providing mechanisms for financing Hamas prior to the October 7, 2023, attack. In this case, the company's lawyers stated that the allegations are insufficient and do not confirm any specific connections between Hamas and Binance.
