Italian authorities announced on Friday the arrest of nine individuals, including Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood leader in Italy, “Mohammed Hanoun – an Italian of Palestinian origin,” and the seizure of funds and assets exceeding eight million euros as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the illegal financing of Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization in the European Union.
The Italian police and the Financial Guard (Guardia di Finanza) stated that the operation was executed in coordination with the Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate in Genoa, targeting a network suspected of managing international financial transfers through charitable associations based in the cities of Genoa and Milan.
According to the investigations, donations were collected under the guise of humanitarian aid, but authorities claim that a large portion was transferred to entities linked to Hamas, including support for families of members involved in attacks or detained on terrorism-related charges.
The prosecution noted that more than 70% of the funds collected by the concerned associations were directed to channels connected to the movement, using complex financial networks to evade banking oversight, including the creation of new associations after previous accounts were closed.
Among the detainees is the head of one of the Palestinian associations in Italy, whom investigators suspect played a pivotal role in managing the network within the country, while two of the accused are believed to be outside Italian territory.
For her part, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the operation’s results, affirming that authorities will continue to confront any attempts to exploit charitable work for funding terrorist activities.
In response, lawyers for some of the accused denied the charges against them, asserting that the donations were intended for humanitarian purposes and that the case relies on differing interpretations of the financial transfer paths.
