Italian police have arrested nine people suspected of funding Hamas through aid charities.
Cash allegedly intended for terrorist groups has been found among medical supplies destined for Gaza.
Prosecutors said the detainees were accused of transferring around €7m (£6.1m) ostensibly raised for humanitarian purposes over the past two years to entities linked to Hamas.
According to law enforcement authorities, police seized assets worth more than 8 million euros.
Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Italian Palestine Association, who was recently photographed attending a rally with Greta Thunberg.
According to Italian media reports, police recorded the suspects discussing how to use aid supplies to smuggle cash into the Gaza Strip, where access is controlled by Israel. They also allegedly planned measures to avoid detection, such as destroying their computers.
Kalil Abu Delah, an alleged co-conspirator, reportedly said: “The path to dialogue is for traitors. Thank God, Hamas was born.”
Mohammad Hannoun and Greta Thunberg at a pro-Palestinian rally in Rome in November – Diego Nangano Cappello/Alamy
Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni thanked Italian authorities for carrying out a “particularly complex and important operation” that exposed funding for Hamas through “so-called charitable organizations”.
After two years of war, Gaza’s approximately 2 million civilians face a dire humanitarian situation, with most of the enclave’s buildings and infrastructure razed to the ground.
However, Israel has long accused Hamas of using the aid system to smuggle cash and goods that can be intercepted and sold to boost the terror group’s funding.
The Italian investigation began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged and was expanded through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU countries and coordinated through the EU’s justice agency Eurojust.
Police said they analyzed “a series of suspicious financial transaction reports” in the run-up to the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, including those from some of the suspects.
Video released by Italian authorities showed a police sniffer dog focusing on a bag at what appeared to be an aid warehouse, only to find bundles of 50-euro notes inside.
In wiretaps conducted by the Genoa prosecutor’s office, some of the suspects appeared to be discussing payments to Egyptian authorities to deliver what they called aid to the Gaza Strip, Italian media reported.
Additionally, Mr. Hannon reportedly discussed escape strategies. “I’m thinking about destroying the office computer…I would buy a new computer and I would just install a basic file generator, no accounts or other data,” he said.
No reconstruction work has yet been allowed in the so-called “red zone” part of the Gaza Strip controlled by the terror group, as Hamas has failed to hand over the remains of its last hostage and has no plans to give up its weapons.
This means hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in tents throughout the winter, while access to temporary accommodation units is blocked by Israel.
Police found cash allegedly destined for Hamas among medical supplies destined for Gaza – Claudio Furlan/LaPresse Associated Press
In an embarrassment to the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office allowed Qatar access to the Las Vegas Strip until October 7, cash now believed to have helped the group prepare for the massacre.
Netanyahu flew to the United States on Sunday and later met with Donald Trump at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where the second phase of the peace plan will be discussed.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Hannon was the best-known of the arrested suspects. In his post on
Hannon has previously called accusations that he is a Hamas financier lies.
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