Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler warns in the NZZ: "The fact that the group targeted the well-attended park suggests that they may have been toying with the idea of committing a mass attack." The process not only reveals plans - it shows a strategic U-turn. Europe is apparently no longer a place of retreat for Hamas - but a target for attack. The organization is under pressure in Gaza. Israel strikes back after the massacre on October 7. On the defensive, Hamas is now apparently looking for a "counter-attack" - in the cities of Europe. "As Israel's second-largest arms supplier, Germany is a logical target," says Schindler. "In the terrorist organization's mind, attacks could be a way to break Germany's solidarity with Israel."

Cryptocurrencies have helped the group invest its money while bypassing international financial sanctions, according to a report by the Counter Extremism Project. To combat those efforts. "Hamas was an early adopter of fundraising in crypto starting in 2019," said Ari Redbord, a former federal prosecutor and global head of policy and government affairs at TRM Labs, which is working to track Hamas funding. "They were using Telegram channels to solicit donations. They then set up website infrastructure to solicit donations." Yet, experts, including Redbord, emphasize that cryptocurrency remains a small piece of the group's financial strategy.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: After nearly 18 months of war in Gaza, Israel's aim of destroying Hamas, the militant Islamist organization, is still unfulfilled. In recent days, the Israeli military has killed more Hamas senior leaders in airstrikes. Yet, Hamas has shown that it is able to absorb major losses and can still fight and govern.

Commenting on the EU-summit deliberations on Gaza, British Middle East expert Edmund Fitton-Brown said: "That element of balance [deploring also Hamas] rescues the exercise from being completely counterproductive". The original statement on Hamas' 7 October attack said the EU "condemns [it] in the strongest possible terms", in what Fitton-Brown said was "a 10 out of 10 condemnation" in terms of diplomatic vocabulary. "I think they [EU leaders] have it about right on Syria - balancing criticism with encouragement and potential incentives," the British ex-diplomat, Fitton-Brown, said. But reading the draft summit communiqué on al-Sharaa more closely (which "strongly condemns" the sectarian violence), Fitton-Brown added: "I'm not sure the word 'strongly' is necessary."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: Israel has restarted strikes on Gaza, the fiercest since a now-expired ceasefire came into effect in January. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the recent airstrikes on Gaza are, "only the beginning." Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says the strikes killed over 400 Palestinians, including many children. The IDF has ordered evacuations in eastern Gaza, while Israelis have called for protests. In Tel Aviv, the families of hostages joined thousands protesting against the Israeli strikes on Gaza - accusing Netanyahu's government of sacrificing their relatives.

"Meanwhile, Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project explained that existing EU legal frameworks are inadequate for addressing the growing problem. Schindler described Samidoun as a network that "allow[s] for the cooperation between various violent extremist milieus." He pointed to Samidoun's involvement in large-scale demonstrations after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, where "a significant number of criminal acts were committed, including, at times, serious violence against the police." He warned that the group plays a role in mobilizing both Islamist and left-wing extremist circles, contributing to the glorification of violence and antisemitism."

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "Hamas has accused Israel of blocking aid to Gaza to influence ceasefire negotiations, with the militant group saying things were back to square one. Could this derail the whole deal? "

"On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people. In response, the U.S. and its allies sought to isolate the Palestinian militant group, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Yet, despite international efforts, Hamas continues to thrive, thanks to direct support from six national governments: Iran, Qatar, Turkey, North Korea, Russia, and China. A new report from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) exposes how these states enable Hamas’s survival by providing financial, military, and diplomatic backing."