Italy arrests 9 accused of raising millions for Hamas

ROME – Italian prosecutors said on Dec 27 they had arrested nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through charities based in Italy, in an operation coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units.

The suspects are accused of "belonging to and having financed" the Palestinian group, which the European Union designates as a terrorist organisation, prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Genoa said in a statement.

Those arrested allegedly diverted to Hamas-linked entities around €7 million (S$10.6 million) raised over the last two years for ostensibly humanitarian purposes, prosecutors said. Police seized assets worth more than €8 million.

While the official objective of the three associations was to collect donations “for humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people”, more than 71 per cent was earmarked for the direct financing of Hamas or entities affiliated with the Islamist movement, according to the police.

Some of the money went to “family members implicated in terrorist attacks”, the statement said.

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, according to media reports.

The investigation began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged and expanded through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU countries, coordinated through the EU judicial agency Eurojust.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the authorities for "a particularly complex and important operation" which had uncovered financing for Hamas through "so-called charity organisations."

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi posted on social media platform X that the operation “lifted the veil on behaviour and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favour of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organisations”. AFP, REUTERS