Hamas Finance Suspect Faces Dutch Verdict Over €8 Million Network

A Dutch court in Rotterdam is expected to rule Wednesday in the case of Amin Abu Rashid, an alleged Hamas financier accused of helping transfer about €8 million to Hamas-linked networks between 2010 and 2023.

The case has become one of the most closely watched European legal actions against alleged Hamas fundraising infrastructure. Dutch prosecutors say Abu Rashid used charity networks and intermediary channels to move funds while concealing their final destination.

Abu Rashid, 58, allegedly worked with the Rotterdam-based Israa Charitable Foundation Netherlands to collect and direct money to organizations tied to Hamas. Prosecutors have requested a four-year sentence, with one year suspended, saying he played a “leading and decisive role” in the fundraising operation.

According to the prosecution, Abu Rashid misled financial institutions and continued activity connected to the Al Aqsa Foundation, which was sanctioned by the United States in 2003. Prosecutors say he knowingly evaded restrictions by using structures meant to disguise the movement of money.

The Israeli NGO Ad Kan said undercover materials from a multi-year operation helped support parts of the case. The group said one of its agents infiltrated activist networks, including the International Solidarity Movement, and obtained footage and documents connected to the alleged financing channels.

In one clip cited by Ad Kan, Abu Rashid allegedly described his mission to an undercover investigator in blunt terms.

“My job is Israel down,” he allegedly said. “That’s my job.”

Abu Rashid has long been accused by Israel of serving as a senior Hamas figure in Europe. On June 10, 2025, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Abu Rashid, his daughter Israa Abou Rashed, and the Israa Charitable Foundation Netherlands as part of a broader action against alleged charity fronts used by Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

At the time, U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said the move showed the need to protect the charitable sector from abuse by terrorist organizations that use humanitarian activity as a cover for financing terror operations.

Abu Rashid denies knowingly supporting Hamas. His defense says the money was intended for humanitarian organizations and argues that the recipient groups were not on the European sanctions list.

The case has also drawn a response from pro-Palestinian activists in the Netherlands, who planned a protest outside the Rotterdam court. They argue that the trial relies on Israeli-linked evidence and is meant to criminalize solidarity with Palestinians.

Abu Rashid has also been connected to the Gaza flotilla movement and participated in the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, which ended in a deadly confrontation after Israeli forces intercepted the vessel as it tried to break the naval blockade of Gaza.

The Rotterdam court’s verdict will determine whether judges accept the prosecution’s claim that Abu Rashid helped operate a Hamas financing pipeline through European charity networks, or whether the defense succeeds in framing the transfers as humanitarian aid.