Financial Networks Under Scrutiny

Prosecutors in Genoa said nine individuals were detained on suspicion of “belonging to and having financed” Hamas through charities operating in Italy, marking one of the country’s most significant counterterrorism finance operations in recent years.

According to prosecutors, the suspects allegedly diverted approximately 7 million euros, or $8.24 million, over the past two years to entities linked to Hamas. The funds were raised under the guise of humanitarian relief, a method authorities say complicates detection and enforcement. Italian police seized assets worth over 8 million euros during the operation.

“So-Called Charity Organizations”

Prosecutors said the case began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged, before expanding through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other European Union states. Coordination was handled through Eurojust, the EU’s judicial cooperation agency, highlighting the cross-border nature of the alleged network.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly praised the operation, thanking authorities for “a particularly complex and important operation” that uncovered financing for Hamas through “so-called charity organizations.”

War Fallout Reaches Europe

Italy’s enforcement action sits within a politically charged domestic environment. Meloni’s support for Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza has triggered repeated street protests across Italy, tying foreign policy directly to internal security and social cohesion. The arrests risk further politicizing the debate, even as prosecutors emphasized evidentiary thresholds rather than political considerations.

The broader regional backdrop remains acute. Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, following the October 7, 2023 attack that killed around 1,200 people, based on Israeli tallies. While these figures are not directly linked to the Italian investigation, they frame the urgency with which European governments are treating alleged Hamas financing on their territory.