rome
Reuters
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Italian prosecutors announced on Saturday that nine people had been arrested on suspicion of funding Hamas through Italy-based charities in a joint operation between anti-mafia and counter-terrorism forces.
Prosecutors in Genoa, northern Italy, said in a statement that the suspects are accused of “affiliated with and financing” a Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union.
Prosecutors said the arrestees are suspected of diverting about 7 million euros ($824 million) collected over the past two years to Hamas-affiliated groups, ostensibly for humanitarian purposes. Police seized assets worth more than 8 million euros.
The investigation was launched following indications of suspicious financial transactions and was expanded in cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU countries, coordinated through the EU’s judicial body Eurojust.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked authorities for a “particularly complex and important operation” that uncovered funding to Hamas through “so-called charities.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Meloni’s support for Israel during the war with Hamas in Gaza sparked massive and repeated street protests in Italy.
More than 71,000 people have been killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza, according to the enclave’s health ministry. The attack was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally.
