A day after the dramatic arrest of a Hamas fundraising network in Italy, political tensions there are running high. Figures on the Italian right on Sunday called on anti-Israel left-wing groups to engage in soul-searching, after it emerged that the central suspect is senior Palestinian activist Mohammed Hannon, who in the past year became a star in radical left circles and was photographed with anti-Israel figures such as Greta Thunberg and Francesca Albanese. In Jerusalem, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday evening that Israel had provided Italian authorities with information that advanced the investigation and enabled the arrests.
The affair came to light over the weekend, when seven suspects were arrested in a raid by Italian security forces in the Genoa area. The operation targeted Hamas operatives and individuals identified with the group, after investigators determined that for years they had managed to raise funds for the terrorist organization by using ostensibly innocent pro-Palestinian charities operating in Italy as a cover. At least 7 million euros were transferred to Hamas. According to investigators, the sum included about 1 million euros donated by the Italian public over recent years, including before the October 7 terror attack, under the belief the money would go to humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians. In practice, the funds were funneled through a complex network of concealment and shell companies directly to Hamas.
The storm in Italy has focused in particular on the identity of the main suspect, Mohammed Hannon. Hannon, 64, a Jordanian-born activist who immigrated to Italy in 1983, became over the years one of the most prominent figures in the country’s pro-Palestinian movement. In the past two years, since the October 7 massacre, he served as president of the Association of Palestinians in Italy and organized and led massive protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel. Those demonstrations gained momentum to the point that Italy became one of the countries with the strongest public hostility toward Israel, accompanied by a surge in antisemitic incidents at universities, on the streets, and in cultural circles.
Hannon is known for repeatedly praising the “Palestinian resistance.” In an interview in August he said: “I am not a Hamas member and never have been, but I salute everyone who fights for the Palestinians and supports them, and therefore I have sympathy for Hamas.”
Details now emerging about his activities have stunned many in Italy and exposed how extreme his views were compared with the moderate image he sought to project. Italian media report that intelligence and police had monitored Hannon for years and built an extensive investigative file, raising questions as to why he was not arrested earlier.
According to reports, including in Corriere della Sera, Hannon first came onto the radar of Italy’s domestic intelligence more than 20 years ago. Wiretaps from the period of the Second Intifada revealed him repeatedly celebrating Hamas suicide bombings against civilians in Israel, including attacks in which many Israeli children were killed. The indictment cites numerous examples of Hannon celebrating Hamas terror, often with friends and with his brother Ahmad. One example is the August 19, 2003 suicide bombing on Jerusalem’s No. 2 bus, in which 23 people were killed, including seven children. After that attack, Hannon was recorded celebrating “like crazy” upon hearing that 23 civilians had been killed, and savoring the fact that “for the hated Zionists the wound is even bigger this time because many of the victims are children.”
Despite extensive investigations, authorities had until now been unable to establish grounds for Hannon’s arrest and indictment, even though Israeli and U.S. intelligence provided concrete information on his activities to Italian authorities.
Planned escape to Turkey, with help from Turin’s imam
Over the past year, as pro-Palestinian protests surged in Italy, Hannon became a highly popular figure among activists, frequently posing for photos with well-known personalities, from anti-Israel climate activist Greta Thunberg to Francesca Albanese, a leading figure of Italy’s anti-Israel left and now the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories. He was invited to parliament by left-wing politicians, photographed with senior Democratic Party lawmaker Laura Boldrini, and given a prominent public platform.
Behind the scenes, however, he allegedly continued fundraising for terrorism, as the case against him quietly grew. Investigators say the file details numerous methods proving that Hannon was not just a Hamas supporter but a senior figure in “Hamas abroad,” who, together with an extensive network of operatives in Italy and other countries, built a major fundraising apparatus for Hamas’ military wing. Photos released Sunday showed him with Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader assassinated a year and a half ago in Tehran.
In recent months, the pressure on Hannon intensified. Investigative reports, including in the newspaper Il Tempo, exposed his ties to Hamas and armed struggle against Israel, as well as his growing links with Italian left-wing politicians. Last year, authorities barred him from Milan after he was quoted justifying a pogrom carried out by Muslim attackers against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam. In October, during a large pro-Palestinian rally, Hannon said Hamas executions of opponents in Gaza were justified and that “collaborators must be killed.”
According to Corriere della Sera, on the day of his arrest Hannon was likely planning to flee Italy to Turkey, where the controversial imam of Turin owns two apartments. The imam reportedly intended to help Hannon and his family escape once they realized investigators were closing in. The weekend raid came just in time, uncovering large warehouses near Genoa filled with sacks of banknotes destined for Hamas.
Investigators also revealed Sunday that in recent months Hannon accelerated the transfer of funds and urged associates “to do everything to get the money out as quickly as possible, by any means.” Authorities decided to act both to prevent him from obstructing the investigation and to stop his planned escape to Turkey.
Alongside Hannon, several other Hamas operatives and network members were arrested across Italy, while additional suspects remain at large under arrest warrants. Raids continued Sunday at 17 locations, where investigators found Hamas flags and more sacks of cash, including 1 million euros in ready-to-send funds, in addition to the 7 million euros already uncovered.
Hannon’s arrest sparked a major political uproar in Italy. After Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the arrest, members of her Brothers of Italy party and other center-right parties attacked the left, mocking its long-standing ties with Hannon. “Apologize!” one politician demanded, while another accused the pro-Palestinian left of proving it had “always been on the wrong side.” The anti-Israel left showed signs of embarrassment, though some pushed back, saying: “The affair should be investigated, but none of this changes the fact that Israel is committing genocide.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday evening that Israel had assisted Italian authorities with intelligence and evidence leading to the investigation and the arrests of Hannon and six other Hamas operatives. According to Katz, the material was provided by a joint task force including the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing, the Israel Police intelligence division, IDF Military Intelligence, and the Shin Bet.