Italy: charities send millions of euros to Hamas
Italy has uncovered a vast system of funding for Hamas through three charities operating under the guise of helping the Palestinian people. The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported this.
The Association for Charitable Solidarity with the Palestinian People, La Cupola d'Oro (The Golden Dome) and another voluntary organisation collected some €7.29 million, more than 71 per cent of which, according to the investigation, was channelled directly to Hamas or its affiliated organisations in Gaza.
The operation, which was coordinated by Italian security forces together with Israeli and Dutch partners, led to the arrest of seven people, two others are on the run.
According to ANSA, among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, an imam from Genoa and an alleged member of the foreign wing of Hamas.
Investigators say he had headed the movement's Italian cell since 2001 and managed financial flows through complex international schemes. These activities, according to prosecutors, constitute a systematic misuse of humanitarian activities to support terrorism.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi highlighted the success of the operation as proof of the professionalism of the Italian authorities. At the same time, the prosecutor's office recalled that Hamas crimes are not a justification for violence against the Palestinian population.
The case has also provoked a political reaction, with a protest in Milan in support of Hannouna.
(pir)