Hamas' October 7 massacre and the war that followed it created two trends in Germany: Large and violent pro-Palestinian popular demonstrations and almost total support for Israel from politicians and government authorities, who, among other things, imposed a ban on membership in and activities of the organizations Hamas and Samidoun, which is an arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
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On Thursday, four Hamas members were arrested in a joint operation - three in Germany and one in the Netherlands, and now it is beginning to become clear how wide and deep the infrastructure of the Hamas organization in Germany is.
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Majed Khalil Musa al-Zeer, center, is accused of coordinating Hamas activity in Germany; he is next to Ismail Hamiyeh, left
The General Prosecutor's Office in Germany reported that the three suspects arrested in the country had been under surveillance for more than six months, and authorities were aware of their attempts to find an underground weapons cache prepared by Hamas a long time ago. The goal of the Hamas terrorists had been to transfer the weapons to Berlin to hit Israeli and Jewish targets.
Employees of the German security service told the weekly Der Spiegel that Hamas elements have been under surveillance, wiretapping and intelligence gathering for a long time. The authorities' new decision to outlaw the organization only made the prosecution, arrests and surveillance of the organization's members easier.
For years, Hamas has benefited from the fact that its activities and its collection of funds in Germany have been ignored, even though it has been on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations since 2001. Why has it suddenly been closely monitored in recent months? It turns out that this is not only about sympathy for Israel, but also about the growing fear of the authorities that the organization will carry out terrorist attacks against Germany itself.
According to the German security services, the main man of Hamas activity in Germany is Majed Khalil Musa al-Zeer. Al-Zeer, 61, claimed that the October 7 attack was an act of self-defense by the Palestinians. Referring to the Muslim population in Berlin, he previously said that "the city plays a significant part in the Palestinian struggle."
The German Interior Ministry claims that Al-Zeer, who holds British citizenship and moved from London to Berlin in 2014, is the unofficial representative of Hamas in Germany and has connections with the most senior leaders of the organization. According to the security authorities, Al-Zeer has an even more central role: he is the organization's contact person throughout Europe, and is suspected of planning attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets throughout Europe from his seat in Berlin. During the many raids conducted in Germany since the decision to outlaw Hamas activities, the security forces also arrived at Al-Zeer's home.
The information obtained from him and from other sources presents a frightening picture: The Hamas network is spread across the length and breadth of Germany, in central cities and remote villages. Many German citizens consistently praise the terrorists, collect funds for them, and engage in ceaseless incitement against Jews and Israel. From the findings discovered by the security authorities, it appears that among them are doctors, lawyers, accountants and other respected professionals who are highly valued by their neighbors and clients, who hold various positions in organizations that support Hamas.
Beyond the intelligence gathering and arrests, the Germans are trying to cut off the organization's economic pipeline. It turns out that Hamas manages to raise a lot of money through small donations, and many raids are carried out to confiscate "charity funds," small, and very innocent, found in many stores.
Meanwhile, eavesdropping on WhatsApp messages and posts on social networks revealed to the authorities that a suburb near Berlin is becoming a Hamas center. In that place, the local imam has offered blessings for the October massacre. In response, the local municipality decided to buy a building that was intended to become an Islamic community center.