Italian police have arrested nine people accused of raising around €7m (£6m) for Hamas over more than two years.
The money, according to a police statement, was allegedly collected as humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians, but was instead sent to the militant group through a "complex fundraising system."
Along with the arrests, police say they have seized more than €8m (£7m) worth of property as part of the investigation.
Police say the suspects are "specifically accused of carrying out financial operations believed to have contributed to terrorist activities."
The arrests were made as part of a joint initiative between the Italian anti-terrorist police and the financial police.
The investigation began after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel.
Police say they have analyzed "a series of reports of suspicious financial transactions" involving some of the suspects in the run-up to the attack.
Investigators uncovered a "complex" fundraising system, headquartered in Genoa, with branches in Milan, the statement added.
"The suspects were collecting donations intended for the civilian population of Gaza, however, it turned out that more than 71% of these funds were diverted to Hamas funds to finance its military wing and support the families of suicide bombers or those detained for terrorism," the police statement said.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedozi said the most prominent among those arrested was Mohamed Hanun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy.
Hanun has previously described accusations that he is funding Hamas as a "lie."
Piantedozi thanked the police for their work in a post on the X network, but also noted that "the presumption of innocence... must always be recognized at this stage."
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