Italy arrests nine people for funding Hamas through charity
Italian prosecutors on Saturday announced the arrest of nine people suspected of financing the Palestinian movement Hamas through charities operating in Italy.
According to the investigation, the suspects were alleged to have diverted some seven million euros officially collected for humanitarian purposes to Hamas-linked entities over the past two years. At the same time, police seized assets worth more than eight million euros.
The operation was coordinated by the Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Unit in cooperation with authorities in the Netherlands and other EU countries, under the supervision of Eurojust.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the crackdown and thanked the security forces for exposing the misuse of charities to finance terrorism. The case comes at a time when Italy's support for Israel in the Gaza conflict is sparking mass protests at home.
(reuters, mja)