Rome – Zaytoun News – News Agencies
Italy’s specialized anti-terrorism prosecution office in Rome announced on Saturday the arrest of nine individuals on suspicion of raising funds for Hamas, in a case authorities say involves financial networks operating under the cover of charitable activities.
According to a statement by prosecutors, the detainees are linked to three charitable organizations and are suspected of collecting and transferring funds illegally to support Hamas.
The statement indicated that investigations point to the transfer of approximately seven million euros to associations based in the Gaza Strip, the occupied Palestinian territories, or inside Israel. Assets estimated at around eight million euros connected to the network were also seized. Prosecutors said the funds were moved through complex financial mechanisms designed to evade banking oversight.
The statement added that the charities are “owned by, controlled by, or affiliated with Hamas,” according to the prosecution.
Among those arrested is Mohammed Hannoun, head of the Palestinian Association in Italy, whom prosecutors described as “the leader of Hamas’s Italian cell.”
Italian prosecutors said the funds were transferred through what they described as “triangular operations,” including direct bank transfers, the use of organizations based outside Italy, and channeling money to associations operating in the Gaza Strip.
According to reports, Italian prosecutors cooperated with other European countries to trace the financial network and monitor communications, including the Netherlands.
The statement also noted that Israeli authorities had previously declared some of these associations “illegal organizations,” alleging links to Hamas.
Prosecutors said the investigation was carried out in cooperation with other European Union countries as part of cross-border judicial and security coordination. The European Union lists Hamas as a designated terrorist organization.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the operation reflects her government’s commitment to combating what it describes as terrorism and cutting off its sources of funding, praising the effectiveness of cooperation between security and judicial authorities.
In an official comment, Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi wrote on the platform X that the operation “exposed behaviors and activities that, under the guise of initiatives in support of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and involvement in terrorist organizations.”
Italian police told Agence France-Presse that seven individuals were arrested in connection with the case, while two others are being sought under international arrest warrants and are currently abroad.
Police said that part of the funds allegedly transferred was provided to “members of families of individuals involved in terrorist attacks.”
They added that the investigation concluded that while the declared aim of the associations was to collect donations “for humanitarian purposes,” more than 71 percent of the funds, according to their allegations, were allocated to directly finance Hamas or entities affiliated with it.
Italian authorities further claimed that the associations under investigation are part of what they described as a “strategic project” by Hamas, based on “a complex structure involving cells operating abroad,” enabling the organization to pursue its objectives.
In a related development, the European Council decided in January 2025 to extend restrictive measures against 12 individuals and three entities accused of supporting the financing of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
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