Italian authorities have carried out an extraordinary large-scale security operation, resulting in the arrest of nine people, including the leader of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in Italy, “Mohammed Hanoun – an Italian of Palestinian origin”, and the confiscation of financial assets worth more than eight million euros in an investigation into the illegal financing of Hamas.
The police and the Financial Guard clarified that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the anti-mafia and anti-terrorism directorate in Genoa, targeting a network suspected of managing international financial transfers through charitable associations based in Genoa and Milan.
The investigations indicate that donations were collected under the banner of humanitarian aid, but a large portion of them—exceeding 70%—was directed to channels linked to the movement, using complex financial mechanisms to avoid oversight, including establishing new associations after previous accounts were closed.
Among the detainees is the president of a Palestinian association in Italy, while two of the accused are believed to be outside Italian territory.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the results, stressing that the government will continue to confront any attempt to exploit charitable work in supporting terrorism, while defense lawyers emphasized that the donations were intended for humanitarian purposes and that the case relies on differing interpretations of the money flow.
