Overview
- Police and financial investigators executed 17 searches across cities including Genoa, Milan and Rome, seizing €1.08 million in cash, hidden electronics, a Hamas flag and a USB with celebratory chants.
- Authorities say 25 people are under investigation, with seven arrests including Hannoun, and two additional suspects sought abroad in Gaza and Turkey.
- Case files describe a cash-based network routing money via Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, including a documented €180,000 backpack handoff in Milan on February 11, 2024.
- Prosecutors estimate about €7–7.2 million was diverted, citing material indicating roughly 71% of outflows went to Hamas-controlled charities or to families of militants.
- Defense lawyers label the case political and contest reliance on foreign battlefield-sourced documents, as seized devices are analyzed and custodial hearings approach.