The operation was carried out by the Digos (Special Operations Division) in conjunction with the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police), under the coordination of the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office. References to the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Seven million euros from Italian Hamas cells to three Palestinian charities were instead earmarked for the organization responsible for the October 7 massacre in Israel two years ago. This is the conclusion of investigators from the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, who, along with the Genoa DIGOS (Special Operations Unit), arrested nine people today, including several members of Hamas’s foreign branch. The investigation was completed with the support of the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police).
The investigation targets three organizations: the Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà col Popolo Palestinese (founded in Genoa in 1994), its parallel volunteer organization created in 2003, and La Cupola d’Oro, opened the same year in Milan. All were allegedly administered by Mohammad Hannoun, whom investigators consider a senior Hamas operative and head of the Italian Hamas cell.
Nine individuals are accused of criminal association with the aim of international terrorism and subversion of the democratic order. The operation, coordinated by the Genoa prosecutor’s office with the support of Dutch authorities and Israeli intelligence, alleges that these organizations funneled approximately 7 million euros to Hamas-linked groups in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, and Israel.
Prosecutors state that donations officially collected for humanitarian purposes were instead transferred through complex international banking triangulations to organizations declared illegal by Israel due to their direct links to Hamas, including direct support to senior Hamas figures such as Osama Alisawi, former transport minister of the Hamas-run Gaza government, who allegedly solicited funds personally.
According to investigators, more than 71 percent of collected funds were diverted to Hamas or Hamas-controlled associations. The total amount allegedly transferred between 2001 and today, particularly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, is estimated at €7,288,248.15.
Hannoun, described as part of Hamas’ foreign leadership and a board member of the European Palestinians Conference, is considered the architect of the Italian network, coordinating fundraising, propaganda and cash deliveries across Genoa, Milan, Florence, Bologna, and other cities.
The operation, codenamed “Domino,” led to seven arrests and is part of a broader national anti-terrorism campaign coordinated by Italy’s National Anti‑Mafia and Anti‑Terrorism Directorate. Two suspects remain abroad, one in Gaza and one in Istanbul.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that the case exposed “activities that, under the guise of solidarity initiatives for the Palestinian population, concealed support for Islamist terrorist organizations.” He praised the operation as evidence of Italy’s high-level counterterrorism capacity.
Prosecutors emphasized that Israeli military actions in Gaza, while under international legal review, cannot justify Hamas terrorism, including the October 7 attacks, nor mitigate responsibility for financing terrorism.
Investigators further confirmed that Israeli judicial cooperation provided key documentation establishing that the Genoa-based charity functioned as an external Hamas cell integrated into a coordinated European network, knowingly diverting humanitarian donations away from civilian relief and into the operational structures of Hamas’ political and military wings.
