Over twenty people under investigation for funding Hamas, including funds raised in Sardinia.

Funds earmarked for Hamas are also arriving from Sardinia, seven million euros in funding from the Italian branch of the European network of volunteer associations that are said to be providing covert funding to Palestinian fighters.

The computers hidden in a cavity created inside a plasterboard wall, several USB drives, the Hamas flag, various informational materials. And above all, money, all in cash, over a million euros. The 17 searches carried out by the DIGOS (Italian Special Operations Division) and the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Finance Police) immediately after the raid in the investigation into Hamas financing, which led to the imposition of nine precautionary measures, including one for the president of the Association of Palestinians in Italy, Mohammad Hannoun , have yielded various materials that investigators describe as "particularly interesting," while they await the ability to "open" the computers and cell phones of those arrested.

Seven people were arrested in the raid, while two others are fugitives, believed to be in Turkey and Gaza. However, many more are under investigation: over 20, including Hannoun's family members, his wife, and two children. According to the Genoa prosecutor's office, which coordinated the investigation, they were aware of the true destination of the funds raised and, at least in the case of the children, they may have occasionally maintained contact with or transported the money. Also under investigation are a student from the Lodi area, as the three computers hidden in the wall were found in his home; the director of the 'InfoPal' news agency; Angela Lano, a 62-year-old journalist and orientalist from Turin, considered responsible for propaganda in Italy; and Mahmoud el Shobky, 56, who, according to investigators, is the contact person for the association responsible for raising funds on the island, in Piedmont, along the Adriatic coast, and in Sicily.

And it's not out of the question that the list could expand in the coming days, following preliminary hearings before investigating judge Silvia Carpanini. They haven't been scheduled yet, but they're likely to begin Tuesday. Almost all will be held via video link, with the exception of Hannoun, who is being held in Genoa's Marassi prison. The president of the Palestinian Association, considered by investigators to be a member of the external branch and the leader of the Italian Hamas cell, will meet with his lawyers in jail on Monday. However, they have already made clear their defense line. The charges, say Dario Rossi, Emanuele Tambuscio, and Fabio Sommovigo, are "largely based on evidence and assessments, including legal ones, from Israeli sources."

Therefore, precisely because of the provenance, "a real and thorough review of the content and compliance with the constitutional, conventional, and codified principles governing the formation of evidence is not possible." Essentially, there is no evidence other than that provided by Israel. The lawyer for Rahed al Salahat, arrested in Florence, agrees: "It is certain that he collected funds from the faithful to donate them to charitable activities in Palestine," explains Samuele Zucchini, "and the accusation of diverting those funds from such uses for terrorist purposes is unproven." The lawyers then reiterate another point raised by many close to the Palestinian cause. "The rather obvious risk is that concrete acts of solidarity with the tormented Palestinian population will be interpreted as acts of support, or even participation, in terrorist activities, assuming that such a characterization can be considered correct, and to what extent."

While awaiting the meeting between the suspects and the magistrates, the right is attacking the center-left head-on for its "silence on the issue. " "The left should demonstrate its commitment to security," says Undersecretary of Justice Andrea Delmastro, while the Brothers of Italy (FdI) are demanding that Ministers Piantedosi and Tajani provide information on Hannoun, citing the opposition's "superficiality" regarding the matter. These words were rejected by Riccardo Ricciardi, leader of the Five Star Movement in the Chamber of Deputies: "The most sordid thing is that this right is using the investigation to clear its conscience for its complicity in the genocide. If they want to talk about who finances Hamas," he concludes, "let them also talk about Netanyahu, who is now financing ISIS."

(Unioneonline)