ROME, Dec 27 (Reuters) – Italian prosecutors said on Saturday they had arrested nine people on suspicion of financing through charities based in , in an operation coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units.
The suspects are accused of ‘belonging to and having financed’ the Palestinian group, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organization, prosecutors in the city of Genoa, in northern Italy, said in a statement.
Also read:
The detainees allegedly diverted to Hamas-linked entities around 7 million euros ($8.24 million) raised over the past two years for ostensibly humanitarian purposes, prosecutors said. The police seized assets worth more than 8 million euros.
The investigation began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged and was expanded through cooperation with authorities in the Netherlands and other EU countries, coordinated by the EU judicial agency, Eurojust.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked authorities for ‘a particularly complex and important operation’ that uncovered Hamas funding through ‘so-called charitable organizations’.
Also read:
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meloni’s support for Israel during the war against Hamas in Gaza sparked large and repeated street protests in Italy.
Israel’s attack on Gaza has already killed more than 71,000 people, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. It was triggered by a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli records.
Also read:
(Reporting by Gavin Jones, additional reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan, Emily Rose in Jerusalem)
