Italy Arrests Nine Over Alleged Hamas Funding via Charities

Italian prosecutors on Saturday announced the arrest of nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through Italy-based charities, following a coordinated operation by anti-mafia and counter-terrorism units.

In a statement, prosecutors in the northern city of Genoa said the suspects are accused of “belonging to and having financed” the Palestinian group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.

Investigators allege that around 7 million euros ($8.24 million) raised over the past two years for purported humanitarian causes was diverted to entities linked to Hamas. Police also seized assets worth more than 8 million euros as part of the operation.

The probe was launched after authorities detected suspicious financial transactions and was later expanded through cooperation with the Netherlands and other European Union countries, under the coordination of the EU’s judicial agency, Eurojust.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the authorities for carrying out what she described as “a particularly complex and important operation”, saying it had exposed funding channels for Hamas operating through “so-called charity organisations”.

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meloni’s strong support for Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza has sparked large and repeated street protests across Italy.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the territory’s health ministry. The assault followed a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli figures.