Italy is considered a favorite destination for Israelis. Over the years, the two countries have also maintained relatively warm relations. However, in recent months, with the prolongation of the war and the shift in European public opinion regarding it, all of this has changed.
Anti-Israel riots with hostile slogans are erupting across the country, many citizens are expressing hate-filled sentiments against Israel, and the Jewish community is reporting a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents. It seems that the harsh rhetoric against Israel and everything associated with it transcends political boundaries and camps.
However, in recent days, the Rome-based Italian newspaper Il Tempo has published a series of investigative reports exposing the highly questionable connection between one of Hamas' senior officials abroad, Mohammed Hannoun, and his associates, with very senior figures in the radical left-wing parties Five Star Movement and the left-wing Democratic Party. These parties are usually the ones leading the critical line against Israel in the streets of Italy, heading demonstrations and demanding active action and sanctions against Israel by Giorgia Meloni's government.
At the center of the investigation is a figure well-known in Italy, the U.S. government and Western intelligence organizations for many years. Hannoun, 62, who has lived in Genoa for decades, is considered a prominent Hamas figure in the country. He has established a long list of associations and organizations under the guise of "humanitarian" work to raise funds and donations for the terrorist organization. Even before October 7, 2023, Israel had demanded that Italy take action against the businessman due to his central financing activities for Hamas, particularly for its military wing.
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Mohammed Hannoun. Supported the 'hunting' of Israelis in Amsterdam, raises money for Hamas' military wing
(Photo: YouTube)
In December 2024, sanctions were imposed on him by the US Treasury Department after he was designated as a Hamas operative and a veteran fundraiser for the organization. Hannoun established and managed ABSPP, the "Association for Charity and Solidarity with the Palestinian People," which presented itself as a humanitarian body but allegedly served as a front institution for financing the terrorist organization's military wing.
After October 7, further steps were taken against Hannoun. The Italian postal service closed his account, and international financial service providers such as Visa, Mastercard and PayPal blocked transfers related to him. Hannoun has been trying to bypass these blockades since then, establishing additional organizations and shell companies through which he raises funds for Hamas.
Despite the man's well-known profile, the Il Tempo investigation revealed that the left-wing parties continue to meet with Hannoun and not only with him but also with his senior partner, another Hamas supporter, the Palestinian Sulaiman Hijazi, who has lived in Italy for 20 years. The series of investigations began at the end of July when Hijazi stood on stage at a conference in the Italian Parliament in Rome, along with the UN envoy to the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, a staunch anti-Israel figure.
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Together on stage, at the Parliament in Rome. UN official Albanese with Hamas member Sulaiman Hijazi, Hannoun's partner
(Photo: YouTube)
Albanese expressed doubts about the Hamas rapes on October 7 and faced U.S. sanctions as a result. Il Tempo investigated and questioned how Albanese could share a stage with Hamas member Hijazi when it is clear to everyone that he is the senior partner of Hannoun, the prominent Hamas figure in Italy.
The series of investigations, published almost daily in Il Tempo over the past week, reveals the depth of the connections between the highest-ranking members of the two most prominent left-wing parties in Italy with Hanoun and others in his close circle, including Islamists connected to the Islamic Cultural Center of Milan. They demonstrate disturbing political ties that are growing stronger between Italian left-wing politicians and pro-Hamas elements in the country.
Immediately after the October 7 massacre, Hannoun was a central figure in organizing the massive demonstrations against Israel in Italy, which have intensified significantly in recent months. As mentioned, Hannoun does not hide his support for Hamas at all. Immediately after October 7, he claimed in an interview on Italian television that "Hamas' attack is an act of self-defense." He later praised Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Saleh al-Arouri, who were killed in the war. In November 2024, he praised the Muslim youths who "hunted" Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, and last week, he said: "I am a supporter of Hamas, just as I support any organization that fights for my rights."
The investigation also revealed photographs showing Hannoun with senior Hamas official Khaled Mashal and a picture in which he is embraced and smiling with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (who was also killed in the war). Meanwhile, senior members of the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party have chosen mainly to hurl insults and accusations at Il Tempo without providing answers regarding the nature of their relationship with the prominent Hamas operative, who continues to operate in the country.