Italian prosecutors have arrested nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through charity organisations operating in Italy, in an operation coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units, authorities said on Saturday.
Prosecutors in the northern city of Genoa said the suspects are accused of belonging to and financially supporting Hamas, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organisation. The arrests followed a two-year investigation into financial flows that were initially presented as humanitarian fundraising.
According to investigators, around 7 million euros raised over the past two years was allegedly diverted to entities linked to Hamas. Police also seized assets valued at more than 8 million euros as part of the operation.
The inquiry began after authorities identified suspicious financial transactions and was later expanded through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other European Union countries. The cross-border investigation was coordinated by the EU’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the security services for what she described as a complex and significant operation, saying it had exposed the misuse of so-called charity organisations to channel funds to Hamas. The office of the Israeli prime minister did not immediately comment on the arrests.
Meloni’s strong backing of Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza has sparked large and repeated protests across Italy. The conflict was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
