Italy arrests 7 for allegedly raising millions for Hamas
Over 71 percent of three implicated charities’ income was forwarded to associations affiliated with the terror group in Israel and the Palestinian territories, authorities charge
by Agencies and ToI Staff · The Times of IsraelItalian police said Saturday that they had arrested seven people suspected of raising millions of euros for the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Police also issued international arrests for two others outside the country.
The arrests come amid massive anti-Israel protests in Italy in recent months that have served as a rallying point for the opposition and drawn hundreds of thousands of people across the country, according to organizers.
Three associations, officially supporting Palestinian civilians but allegedly serving as a front for funding Hamas, are implicated in the investigation, said a police statement.
The nine individuals are accused of having financed approximately 7 million euros ($8 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas.”
While the official objective of the three associations was to collect donations “for humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people,” more than 71 percent was earmarked for the direct financing of Hamas” or entities affiliated with the terror group, according to 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.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi posted on X that the operation “lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations.”
There was no immediate comment from the suspects or the associations.
In January, the European Council decided to extend existing restrictive measures against 12 individuals and three entities that support the financing of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.