European Leadership Network: Hamas is dangerously infiltrating Europe, has received millions from charities

The months-long propaganda campaign by Hamas is taking on dangerous proportions, creating an atmosphere of confusion and intensifying hostility against Jewish communities. The extremist Islamist organization has established an extensive network of individuals who finance its activities and spread hatred against Israel across Europe, reveals a new report cited by the website The Free Press.

Since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people in just two hours, antisemitic comments have dramatically increased throughout Europe.

In the Netherlands, unknown individuals have targeted Jews, labeling them as “child killers” and “dirty Jews.”

This summer, British voters elected four politicians who are opposed to Israel. They view the Israeli state’s retaliatory war against Hamas as “genocide,” with one even questioning the reports that terrorists raped their victims.

Yesterday, the European Leadership Network, a non-profit organization, released a report, shared for the first time on the Free Press website, explaining the origins of this rising antisemitism.

The report highlights that an extensive network linked to Hamas across Europe is using charitable and non-profit organizations to financially support the terrorist group.

Titled “Hamas in Europe,” the report focuses on five European countries, claiming that the Palestinian Sunni organization is more active outside of Gaza: in the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The hundreds of pages of the report detail the stories of at least twelve individuals with strong ties to Hamas who live in Europe, raising money, lobbying, and making media appearances on behalf of the terrorist group.

Mohammad Hannoun, originally from Jordan and residing in Genoa, Italy, has bolstered Hamas’ funds with at least $4 million over the past decade.

The 62-year-old Jordanian, described in the report as “the focal point of Italian actors working for Hamas,” has been supporting the terrorist group over the last decade through the Solidarity Association for the Palestinian People.

The U.S. Treasury recently announced that the Italy-based organization, founded by Hannoun in 1994, “raises funds for humanitarian purposes, but in reality, helps fund Hamas’ military wing.”

Just three days after October 7 of last year, Hannoun told an Italian journalist that Hamas’ invasion of Israel was “self-defense.”

Hannoun, who lives in Genoa, has helped promote anti-Israel protests across the Mediterranean country through his Facebook page.

Majed Al-Zeer, also designated as a Hamas operative by both the U.S. and Israel, is described as “the mastermind of Hamas-related activities” in the UK and Germany, according to the report.

In 1996, Al-Zeer, a 62-year-old British-Jordanian citizen, founded the Palestinian Return Centre, which lobbies the British Parliament and holds special status at the UN, allowing its members to attend meetings and “support pro-Palestinian actions in the UK and abroad.”

In 2010, Israel declared the Palestinian Return Center an “illegal association,” stating that it “is part of Hamas’ movement.”

Despite German authorities identifying the Palestinian Return Center as a possible hub for Hamas’ activities, Al-Zeer continues to live in and organize anti-Israel protests in Berlin, where he has been since 2014 after leaving the UK.

Amin Abou Rashed, arrested by Dutch authorities last year for allegedly providing about $6 million to the organization, is said to hide behind supposedly charitable organizations like the Al Aqsa Foundation.

According to the report, Rashed sought asylum in the Netherlands in 1992 and has been photographed with the now-deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other officials of the terrorist group.

The European Leadership Network managed to link these charitable organizations and individuals to Hamas through publicly available information, such as social media posts and non-profit registrations.

Mark Sachs, director of the European Leadership Network, based in the U.S., said:

“It’s important for us in the West to start waking up and realizing how sophisticated Hamas is.”

U.S. regulators estimate that as of early 2024, Hamas has received up to $10 million a month from these underground groups, most of which are located in Europe.

“Hamas has exploited the suffering in Gaza to solicit funds through sham charities that falsely claim to help civilians in Gaza,” the U.S. Treasury announced last week.

The post European Leadership Network: Hamas is dangerously infiltrating Europe, has received millions from charities appeared first on ProtoThema English.