Italian Police Arrest Seven People Suspected of Funding Hamas
Italian police arrested seven suspects over alleged Hamas financing, saying charities posing as humanitarian groups funneled millions of euros to Hamas-linked entities.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Italian police announced on Saturday the arrest of seven people on suspicion of involvement in financing Hamas, in an investigation that also targets charitable associations accused of serving as financial cover for the group.
Police told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that two additional suspects named in the same case are wanted under international arrest warrants and are currently outside the country.
In an official statement, Italian police said three associations that publicly present themselves as supporting the Palestinian people are also under investigation, alleging that they were in fact used as fronts to fund Hamas.
Authorities said the nine suspects are accused of financing “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, and Israel, affiliated with or linked to Hamas,” with a total amount of approximately seven million euros, equivalent to $8.24 million.
According to the police, the financial support was provided to “individuals from families of people involved in terrorist attacks.”
While the declared purpose of the three associations was to collect donations for “humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people,” police said more than 71% of the funds were allocated directly to Hamas or to entities affiliated with it.
Among those arrested is Mohammad Hannoun, head of the Association of Palestinians in Italy, according to media reports.
Italian authorities stated that the three associations are part of what they described as a “strategic project of the main Hamas movement,” which they said designed a complex structure including cells operating abroad capable of contributing to the group’s objectives.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi described the operation as highly significant.
“This is a very important operation,” Piantedosi wrote in a post on X, saying it exposed “conduct and activities hidden under the guise of initiatives in favor of the Palestinian people, supporting organizations that include terrorists.”