ROME – Italian authorities have arrested nine individuals suspected of financing Hamas through charities in Italy, in a coordinated operation by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units, prosecutors said on Saturday.
The suspects are accused of “belonging to and having financed” the Palestinian group, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organisation, according to prosecutors in the northern city of Genoa.
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Investigators allege the individuals diverted approximately 7 million euros ($8.24 million) over the past two years, which were ostensibly raised for humanitarian purposes, into Hamas-linked entities. Authorities also seized assets exceeding 8 million euros.
The probe began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged and expanded through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU nations, coordinated via the EU judicial agency Eurojust, prosecutors explained.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the authorities for carrying out “a particularly complex and important operation” uncovering Hamas financing through supposedly charitable organisations, reinforcing Italy’s counter-terrorism efforts.
The arrests occur amid heightened tensions following Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, where the ongoing war has claimed over 71,000 lives, according to Gaza health authorities, and sparked repeated street protests across Italy.