Italian authorities arrest 9 suspected of quietly funneling over $8M to Hamas organizations: ‘The veil has been torn’

Nine alleged charity fraudsters were arrested in Italy on suspicion that they sent over $8 million in raised funds to Hamas-run organizations in the Middle East, according to authorities.

Nine alleged charity fraudsters were arrested Saturday in Italy for secretly steering over $8 million to Hamas-run organizations in the Middle East, authorities said.

Three charitable groups are being slammed for financing the terror group through organizations it owned or controlled that were based in Gaza, other Palestinian territories, or Israel, according to the Associated Press.

The office of the Beneficial Association of of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was raided in Milan on Saturday. AP

Italy’s Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi celebrated the arrests on X writing, “the veil has been torn on behaviors and activities, that, behind the screen of initiatives in favor of Palestinian populations, concealed support and participation in organizations with true and proper terrorist aims of an Islamist matrix.”

Genoa’s Imam Hannoun Mohammad Mahmoud Ahmad, president of the Palestinians in Italy group, was among those arrested, and believed to be the head of the Italian cell that worked to fund Hamas, according to La Stampa.

The main group suspected of fraud is the Beneficial Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is based in Genoa, according to EuroNews.

Police officers inspect a charitable association that claims to be supporting Palestinian civilians in Milan, Italy. AP

Payments to the Hamas-run organizations are believed to have started in October 2001 with a marked acceleration following the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel, La Stampa reported.

The Italian investigation was conducted in coordination with authorities in the Netherlands and Israel, according to EuroNews.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization in the European Union.

With Wires.