Dutch authorities have apprehended a father and daughter on charges of "large-scale financing" of Hamas, in violation of European Union (EU) sanctions, according to prosecutors on Monday.

The arrest took place on June 22 in Leidschendam, a town near The Hague, involving a 55-year-old man and his 25-year-old daughter, as reported by AFP.

During the investigation, searches were conducted at a residence in Leidschendam and a business in Rotterdam, leading to the discovery of a significant amount of cash. Furthermore, law enforcement seized a bank account holding approximately 750,000 euros ($820,000). The public prosecution service stated that the suspects are not only accused of transferring around 5.5 million euros to Hamas but also of participating in a criminal organization dedicated to providing financial support to Hamas.

Prosecutors revealed that this organization had replaced a previously sanctioned entity responsible for channeling funds to Hamas. The investigation was initiated following reports of suspicious transactions and news articles highlighting a Hamas fundraising event in Europe.

Both the father and daughter remain in custody. Hamas, the governing authority in the Gaza Strip, was included in the EU terrorism blacklist after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. While it was temporarily removed from the list by a lower EU court in 2014, the bloc's highest court reinstated the designation in 2017, as per AFP's report. Photo by Dickelbers, Wikimedia commons.