Italian police arrested seven individuals and issued warrants for two others on Saturday for allegedly using humanitarian charities to funnel approximately 7 million euros ($8.2 million) to Hamas. Prosecutors claim the network utilized “triangulation operations” to move donations through foreign organizations into Gaza-based entities controlled by the terrorist organization. We reached out to the Palestinian Association in Italy for comment via their official office.
Why It Matters
The operation targets the financial infrastructure used to bypass international sanctions and counter-terrorism financing laws. It highlights the alleged use of European non-profits as fronts for military funding, potentially impacting how humanitarian aid is monitored and distributed in conflict zones.
What To Know
Anti-terrorism prosecutors in Milan announced the arrests on December 27, 2025, following an investigation into three charitable associations. Authorities state that while the organizations claimed to collect funds for Palestinian civilians, over 71% of the money was earmarked for Hamas or affiliated groups. Some of the funds were reportedly traced to the family members of individuals involved in terrorist attacks.
Mohammad Hannoun, the president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, was among those arrested and described by prosecutors as the “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.” Hannoun was previously designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2024 for allegedly sending millions to Hamas’s military wing over a 10-year period.
The investigation focused on the Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese (ABSPP), which U.S. officials have characterized as a “sham charity.” Italian Ministry of the Interior officials stated the arrests were “important and significant” in lifting the veil on activities concealing support for participation in terrorist organizations.
The evidence provided by investigators currently links the movement of funds to entities declared illegal by Israel, but public documents do not yet establish whether individual small-scale donors were aware of the alleged diversion. The available reports do not specify the exact military hardware or operations these specific funds may have financed.
What People Are Saying
Matteo Piantedosi, Italian Minister of the Interior, in a statement on X, said: “The arrest operation lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations.”
Anti-terrorism prosecutors, in a statement reported by The Associated Press, described Mohammad Hannoun as: “the head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.”
The U.S. Treasury Department, in a prior press release, said: “[ABSPP is] a sham charity in Italy which ostensibly raises funds for humanitarian purposes, but in reality helps bankroll Hamas’s military wing.”
What Happens Next
The seven detained suspects are scheduled for preliminary hearings in Milan to determine if they will remain in custody pending trial. Italian authorities are currently working with international partners to execute the outstanding arrest warrants for the two remaining individuals identified in the operation.
