Nine people were arrested and three organizations were accused of financing Hamas terrorism from Italy with more than 7 million euros after the attacks on October 7, the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial Police) reported this Saturday (27).
The order was issued by the investigating judge of the Genoa Court, at the request of the city’s Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate, after analyzing reports of suspicious financial transactions and in collaboration with authorities in the Netherlands and other European Union (EU) countries.
The suspects are accused, in the current phase of preliminary investigation, of being members of and having financed Hamas and its various terrorist activities through the Charitable Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, founded in Genoa in 1994; the Palestine Volunteer Organization, founded in 2003; and La Cupola d’Oro, opened in Milan in the same year.
The charges are “conspiracy to commit terrorism, including international terrorism, and subversion of the democratic order.”
They are believed to have contributed significantly to the organization’s criminal activities, totaling approximately €7 million. These transactions involved triangulation through bank transfers or other means via offshore associations to benefit associations based in Gaza or Israel.
Investigators claim that the funding began on October 18, 2001, but it was after the October 7, 2003 attacks that large sums of money, equivalent to 7,288,248.15 euros, were allocated, “diverting these funds from their stated purpose, which was to meet the real needs of the civilian population of Gaza.”
Among those arrested is Mohammad Hannoun, head of Hamas’ international branch and leader of the Italian cell, as well as legal representative or de facto administrator of these associations, which raised money ostensibly for humanitarian purposes, although in reality more than 70% of the funds were diverted to directly finance Hamas or its affiliated entities.
Also arrested were Rawwa Adel Ibrahim Salameh, representative of northeastern Italy; Abu Deiah Khalil, founder and legal representative of the La Cupola d’Oro Charitable Association; and Abdu Saleh Mohammed Ismail, resident in Türkiye, accused of receiving and transferring at least 462,700 euros to Hamas, including cash, among others.
Part of the funds would have been used to support the families of suicide bombers or people detained for terrorism-related crimes, Italian media added.
“Despite the necessary presumption of innocence that must always be recognized at this stage, behaviors and activities were revealed that, behind the facade of initiatives for the benefit of the Palestinian population, hid support and participation in organizations with genuine terrorist objectives. This is a danger to which our government is devoting the utmost attention”, declared the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.
