Nine people arrested in Italy for raising millions for Hamas

Italian police have arrested nine people accused of raising around €7 million (£6 million) for Hamas over more than two years.

The money was apparently collected as humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians, a police statement said, but was sent to the militant group through a “complex fundraising system.”

Alongside the arrests, police say they have seized more than €8 million (£7 million) in assets as part of the investigation.

Police say the suspects are “specifically accused of carrying out financing operations suspected of contributing to terrorist activities.”

The arrests were carried out as part of a joint initiative by the Italian counter-terrorism police and the financial police.

The investigation began after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel.

Police say they analyzed “a series of reports of suspicious financial transactions” involving some suspects before the attack.

Investigators discovered a “complex” fundraising system, with headquarters in Genoa and branches in Milan, the statement added.

“The suspects collected donations intended for the civilian population of Gaza, but it appeared that more than 71% of these funds were diverted to Hamas coffers to finance its military wing and support the families of suicide bombers or those detained on terrorism charges,” the police statement said.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the best-known suspect arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy.

Mr. Hannoun has already called allegations that he is a Hamas financier a “lie.”

Piantedosi thanked the police for their work in an article on X, but also noted that “the presumption of innocence… must always be recognized at this stage.”