Nine Arrested in Italy Over Alleged Hamas Financing

Italian authorities have arrested nine individuals on charges of financing the Palestinian group Hamas by using charitable organizations as a cover, prosecutors said on Saturday.
In a statement, prosecutors in the northern city of Genoa said the suspects are accused of maintaining links with Hamas—designated a terrorist organization by the European Union—and channeling funds to its affiliated institutions.
According to investigators, nearly €7 million (about $8.24 million) collected over the past two years under the guise of humanitarian assistance was transferred to organizations connected to Hamas. Police have also seized assets worth more than €8 million during the operation.
The arrests followed an investigation into suspicious financial transactions and were carried out by Italy’s anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units. Authorities said the probe was expanded with assistance from law enforcement agencies in other EU countries, including the Netherlands, and coordinated by Eurojust, the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the operation, calling it a complex and significant effort that exposed alleged terror financing hidden behind so-called charitable activities.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately comment on the arrests.
The operation comes amid heightened tensions in Italy following Meloni’s vocal support for Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which has sparked large-scale protests across the country. Gaza’s health authorities say more than 71,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive.