Hamas uses 'humanitarian aid' mask in Italy to fund its terror - opinion

Over the past two years, we have seen in Italy sustained attacks on Israel’s right to exist, alongside antisemitic incidents targeting Israeli tourists, Italian Jews, and even those who dared challenge the prevailing narrative about the Palestinians. There have been ongoing protests against an alleged “genocide,” Palestinian flags displayed on public and private buildings, and the public glorification of the antisemitic UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, exemplified by granting her honorary citizenships. Now, a ray of light has appeared: on December 27 – coinciding with the anniversary of a deadly Palestinian terrorist attack at Rome’s airport 40 years ago - Italian authorities uncovered what few were willing to imagine, despite repeated warnings. Funds raised by known anti-Israel operatives in Italy for supposed “humanitarian purposes” were instead used to finance Hamas terrorism - not to feed allegedly starving Palestinian children, but to buy weapons, pay terrorists’ salaries, and to fuel the ongoing cycle of terror.

In addition, several individuals have been arrested who maintained close ties with prominent left‑wing politicians, appeared with them in photos, were hosted in Parliament alongside the UN Special Rapporteur, attended conferences, and organized rallies joined by high‑profile figures and mayors of major Italian cities. One member of Parliament, together with another former member of Parliament, even took part in several trips organized by one of the suspects and publicly urged people to donate to the organizations now under investigation.

​Another significant detail is that among the suspects is reportedly an Italian journalist accused of promoting Hamas propaganda in Italy: the director of the news agency InfoPal, who is said to have received monthly payments from the organization at the center of the investigation. This raises hopes that the inquiry will also extend to the propaganda machinery shaping public opinion in favor of radical Islam, against Israel, and ultimately against Europe and the West.

Yet this information has been hiding in plain sight for quite some time. Several journalistic investigations - until now given far too little attention - have repeatedly reported on these connections; Israel has flagged these individuals for years, and investigations have already been carried out, both in Italy and abroad. Still, parts of Italian politics and society, as well as segments of the international community, chose not to look, allowing the system to be sustained through political support and financial contributions. It remains to be seen whether this “sudden” discovery will lead to further revelations in other European countries. Prosecutors describe some of those arrested as leaders of a European network operating beyond Italy’s borders, suggesting that similar structures may exist elsewhere and that the total funds involved could far exceed the approximately 7 million euros identified so far.

Most of all, there is hope that this case will open the eyes of large segments of European civil society that have legitimized violence of Palestinian organizations against Israeli civilians and fueled the resurgence of antisemitism in Europe and beyond. This hypocrisy has allowed terrorist organizations to hide behind humanitarian causes, giving them freedom to operate while enabling their supporters to pose as champions of noble causes. Now that it is clear that behind humanitarian causes there can be very different, non‑humanitarian goals - goals no longer acceptable to European civil society - there is hope that all, or at least much, of this support will be reassessed. It is time to track where the massive flow of money ending up in Hamas’s coffers actually goes - money that does nothing to improve Palestinian lives, but instead keeps these organizations in power and prolongs the conflict with Israel, presumably the very opposite of what many donors and much of the Italian and European left claim to want.