In recent weeks, a widespread Hamas terrorist organization has been exposed throughout Judea and Samaria, led by senior Hamas figures abroad to carry out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, including the possibility of carrying out inferno attacks in Israel, a senior GSS official said. : “This is a premature, extensive and significant thwarting of a dangerous terrorist infrastructure that has planned a series of serious terrorist attacks.”
As part of the joint operation by the GSS, the IDF and the Israel Police, more than 50 Hamas operatives throughout Judea and Samaria have been arrested in recent weeks, involved in establishing the terrorist infrastructure and seizing money, weapons, weapons and equipment for making explosives and explosive belts.
A senior GSS source said: “This is a premature, extensive and significant thwarting of a dangerous terrorist infrastructure that has planned a series of serious attacks. The purpose of the intensified terrorist activity of Hamas operatives abroad and in Gaza against the operatives in the Judea and Samaria territories is to undermine stability in the area, while imposing a heavy price on the local residents. “The General Security Service, together with the IDF and the Israel Police, will continue to resolutely address Hamas’ recruitment and intensification efforts in Judea and Samaria, in order to reach all those involved in these efforts and thwart them in advance.”
Explosion of explosives detected. Photo: IDF Spokesman
The operation involved operational battalions in Judea and Samaria and special units that used a variety of means to thwart the infrastructure. As part of the forces’ activities, fighters from elite units, including the Cherry unit, thwarted and arrested a large number of activists and seized many weapons, and explosives suitable for building a number of explosive belts. Unique intelligence activity has brought to the forefront of the operations operational intelligence and advanced capabilities, also through the operational collaborations with the GSS and the Israel Police.
Chief of Staff Major General Aviv Kochavi in a conversation with combat commanders in the commando brigade: “
Recruitment and establishment of infrastructure in Judea and Samaria
The thwarted activity was funded and led by senior Hamas figures, led by Saleh Aruri, deputy chairman of the Hamas movement and head of the West Bank – a body located abroad that works to motivate Hamas activity in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem.
Alongside Aruri are other deportees, one of the most prominent of whom is Zakaria Najib, originally a resident of East Jerusalem, one of the abductors of the late soldier Nachshon Waxman, who was released in the Shalit deal and works to promote Hamas activity in Judea and Samaria; Thus, in 2019, his involvement in planning an assassination attack on Israeli personalities was revealed. Zechariah has been identified as one of the key people involved in the effort to establish this terrorist infrastructure.
As mentioned, activists from various areas in Judea and Samaria – Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin – were recruited for the terrorist infrastructure, with one of the main activists leading the establishment of the infrastructure in the area being Hijazi Qawasma.
Hijazi Qawasmeh, a well-known 37-year-old Hamas operative from Hebron, has been arrested several times in the past for operating in Hamas and planning terrorist attacks. Hijazi is a member of a family of prominent Hamas operatives, including Mahmoud Qawasmeh, who was deported to Gaza in the “Shalit deal” and is working from there to motivate Hamas activities in Judea and Samaria.
Hijazi recruited activists in Judea and Samaria, including Hamza Zahran, a 40-year-old Hamas activist from the village in his hand near Ramallah.
$ 1 million for a kidnapping attack
In order to promote the attack, Hijazi met with senior members of the headquarters abroad and was instructed to carry out the attacks, and he was also offered a $ 1 million appeal by Saleh if he carried out a kidnapping attack. Hundreds of thousands of shekels were later handed over to him to motivate the activity.
Hamza, which has been arrested several times in the past for involvement in Hamas activities and planning terrorist attacks, also joined the effort to establish a terrorist infrastructure and recruited, among others, his brother Ahmad Zahran and other brothers and family members. These acted using the funds they received from abroad, to obtain weapons and manufacture explosives that were seized during the activity to thwart the infrastructure.
It will be recalled that on September 26, during the activity in the village in his hand to thwart the infrastructure, Ahmad Zahran, along with two other activists who worked with him, was killed during an exchange of fire with the security forces.
Detection and seizure of materials for assembling explosive devices
Investigations by GSS operatives led to field operations in which many weapons were seized from the infrastructure. Among other things, an amount of explosives suitable for the construction of 3-4 explosive belts was seized. From Beit Sira – were identified as the main figures who were involved in the production of the explosives.
Hamas operatives from abroad and Gaza continue, all the time, in efforts to recruit residents from Judea and Samaria for terrorist activity. These efforts include an ongoing flow of funding for diversified terrorist activities. One of those most prominent involved is Musa Dudin, a “Shalit deal” expelled from the Yatir area, an associate and right-hand man of Saleh Aruri, who is involved in bringing in terrorist money through Hamas emissaries in Judea and Samaria, an activity that recently led to thwarting terrorist infrastructure in the Hebron area.
.