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Hamas external European operations

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Hamas external European operations consist of attempted attacks, logistical and financial activities.

Background

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organization that originated from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt,[1][2] and is also backed by Iran,[3][4][5] has been designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union since 2003.[6][7] In January 2024, the EU further established a sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities who support, fund, or enable Hamas in any capacity, freezing assets, and banning transactions.[6][7] Hamas rarely operates outside of Israel and Palestine.[8] Hamas has denied ever using violence outside of Israel and Palestine and has stated it is not a threat to European countries.[9][10][11] Since the October 7 attacks, some people have been arrested in European countries on suspicion of planning operations for Hamas.[12]

Notable areas of operations

Denmark

In December 2023, Danish authorities in cooperation with German and Dutch officials, arrested three people who were accused of plotting acts of terror against Jewish targets in Europe.[13][14] According to the prosecutor, the case "has links to Hamas".[13]

Danish intelligence reported that Hamas members in the country worked with Danish Loyal to Familia (LtF) criminal group. One main suspect, a Danish member of LtF, escaped to Lebanon and reportedly met Hamas officials there. He was later extradited to Denmark and charged in May 2025 with terrorism crimes connecting gang violence and Hamas activities.[12][15][16]

In its 2024 report, Danish security service PET warned that the Israel–Hamas war could bring in "new actors" to Danish terrorism cases, specifically mentioning Hamas. The charges presented on May 2025, linked Danish suspects to a wider European weapons network, that was run by Hamas’s foreign operations team in Lebanon. This network stored weapons and planned attacks in several European cities, including Berlin and Copenhagen.[12][16]

Germany

In December 2023, four people were arrested in Germany on suspicion of being members of Hamas. Later they were charged of seeking weapon cashes for attacking Jewish institutions.[17] In October 2024, German authorities charged them for setting up weapon depots across Europe, one depot dating back to 2019.[18][19]

On 1 October 2025, three suspected Hamas members were arrested in Berlin, for planning attack on Jewish sites in Germany. According to the prosecutors the three were seeking to buy weapons and in the raid, among the weapons found was an AK-47 and ammunition. It is unclear whether they are members of Hamas or sympathizers.[8][20] Hamas has denied having any connection to the suspects.[21]

Turkey

See also: Turkish support for Hamas

Hamas has been operating in Turkey since 2011, as Turkey never designated the organization as a terrorist organization. Instead, Erdoğan's Turkey regards it as a resistance group. Former Hamas leaders like Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh al-Arouri used to operate freely from Turkey.[22][23][24] These conditions enabled Hamas to establish financial and logistical infrastructure in Turkey to launder money, recruit operatives, and plan attacks on Israeli targets. Reports of the Israeli intelligence reveal multiple cases linking Hamas's Turkish operations to plots targeting Israeli officials and assets, including the October 7 attacks.[12][25][26]

Belgium

Hamas operates in Belgium using shell companies and NGO organizations that pretend to support the Palestinian cause. Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt said the authorities are watching them, even though as of 2025, Belgium has yet to take major actions against them.[27][28] This worries some politicians and Jewish groups calling for stricter controls. The main Hamas-linked figure is Majed Al-Zeer, who leads EUPAC and has ties to Hamas leaders. Their activities involve using legitimate appearing nonprofits to channel money and influence across Europe, making Belgium a hub for Hamas's clandestine operations in the region.[27][28]

Italy

In 2021 an Italian bank closed the accounts of a non-governmental organization suspected of having ties to Hamas. The investigation was based on suspicion of money laundering unregistered transfers to blacklisted individuals in Palestine.[29]

The Global Sumud Flotilla

According to documents presented by the Israeli government, Hamas was allegedly behind the Global Sumud Flotilla. Documents which show letters dating back to 2021 signed by then Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh to the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), that was established in Istanbul 2017. The letters endorse the organization to organize such a flotilla. Such claims were denied by both those on flotilla and those affiliated with it.[30] Hamas has also denied any connection to the flotilla. The Israeli documents also claim operatives affiliated with Hamas were allegedly involved in the flotilla's funding and operation, including the CEO of a Spanish maritime company that owns many of the flotilla's ships.[31][32][30]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A brief history of Gaza's centuries of war". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2025-03-03. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  2. ^ "Hamas in perspective: Origins and evolution. Global Affairs. University of Navarra". Global Affairs and Strategic Studies. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  3. ^ "Iran". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  4. ^ "Hamas received weapons and training from Iran, officials say". The Washington Post. 2023-10-10. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  5. ^ "United States and United Kingdom Take Coordinated Action Against Hamas Leaders and Financiers". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  6. ^ a b "Hamas and PIJ". Global Sanctions. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  7. ^ a b "Sanctions against terrorism: Council renews the EU Terrorist List and related humanitarian exceptions". Consilium. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  8. ^ a b "Alleged Hamas members arrested in Berlin suspected of plotting attacks". euronews. 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  9. ^ Scahill, Jeremy. "Hamas Launches Unprecedented Legal Case in Britain, Demanding the Government Remove its Terror Designation". www.dropsitenews.com. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  10. ^ "Hamas calls on UK government to remove it from list of banned terrorist groups". 2025.
  11. ^ Berman, Lazar; Reuters (2025-10-03). "Mossad reveals role in arrest of Hamas-linked cell in Germany said plotting to kill Jews". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-10-29. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ a b c d Hummel, Kristina (2025-10-14). "Hamas Plots in Europe: A Shift Toward External Operations?". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  13. ^ a b "Danish police say that the terror plot foiled in December had links to Hamas". Le Monde. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  14. ^ "Denmark says 4 arrested over suspected terror plot – DW – 12/14/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  15. ^ "News | | Danish Security and Intelligence Service". pet.dk. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  16. ^ a b "Man imprisoned in terrorism case with links to Hamas and criminal gangs | News | PET". pet.dk. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  17. ^ "Four Hamas members detained on suspected attack plans -German prosecutor". 2025.
  18. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Germany Charges Four Over Hamas Weapons Depots In Europe". barrons. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  19. ^ AFP and ToI Staff (2024-11-25). "Germany charges four for setting up Hamas weapons depots across Europe". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  20. ^ "Germany arrests 3 suspected Hamas members – DW – 10/01/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  21. ^ "Germany arrests three alleged Hamas members on suspicion of plotting attacks". France 24. 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  22. ^ "10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HAMAS AND TURKEY" (PDF).
  23. ^ AFP and ToI Staff (2025-10-08). "Leveraging long-nurtured Hamas ties, Turkey in the thick of efforts to end Gaza war". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  24. ^ "Turkey as a Center for Hamas Activity - The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center". www.terrorism-info.org.il. Archived from the original on 2025-09-14. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  25. ^ "Guard down: deconstructing the 7 October policy, defence and intelligence failure". Elcano Royal Institute. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  26. ^ Ackerman, Daniel (2025-03-28). "Hamas and Turkey: Partners in Terror". FDD. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  27. ^ a b Delvaux, RTL info avec Cathleen (2024-02-14). "Le ministre de la Justice le confirme: le groupe terroriste du Hamas connaît une activité en Belgique". RTL Info (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  28. ^ a b myprivacy.dpgmedia.be https://myprivacy.dpgmedia.be/consent?siteKey=atXMVFeyFP1Ki09i&callbackUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.7sur7.be%2Fprivacy-gate%2Faccept-tcf2%3FredirectUri%3D%252Fbelgique%252Fle-ministre-de-la-justice-le-confirme-pour-la-premiere-fois-le-hamas-est-actif-en-belgique-par-l-intermediaire-d-obscures-organisations-a-but-non-lucratif%7Ea410e527%252F%253Futm_. Retrieved 2025-10-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ^ ""Finanzia Hamas": bloccati i conti a una Onlus di Genova". 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Gaza-bound flotilla rejects Israeli claims of Hamas funding". euronews. 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  31. ^ i24NEWS (2025-09-30). "IDF finds documents directly linking Gaza flotilla funding to Hamas". i24NEWS. Retrieved 2025-10-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2025-09-30). "Documents from Gaza show Hamas's 'direct involvement' with aid flotilla, Israel claims". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-10-20.

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