Arab Israeli network caught funneling weapons, cash to Hamas in Judea and Samaria

Israeli authorities uncover Arab Israeli network funneling funds and weapons to Hamas cells in Judea and Samaria under the direction of an Israeli citizen operating out of Turkey.

By World Israel News Staff

A terrorist network linked to Hamas has been uncovered inside Israel, with links to Hamas operations in Turkey, Israeli authorities announced Thursday afternoon.

According to a statement by the Shin Bet security agency, Shin Bet agents and Israel Police officers recently arrested several Arab citizens of Israel, including residents of the central Israeli town of Kafr Qassem and the Bedouin city of Rahat in southern Israel, who are suspected of funneling money to Hamas terror cells in Judea and Samaria.

The Hamas-linked network was also involved in smuggling weapons into Judea and Samaria, the Shin Bet said.

The network was directed from abroad by Ahmad Zarzur, an Arab citizen of Israel and Hamas operative living in Turkey.

The weeks-long investigation by the Shin Bet and police discovered that the network transferred hundreds of thousands of shekels to Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria, to fund planned terrorist attacks on Israelis.

Authorities say that Zarzur, originally from Kafr Qassem, exploited his family and social connections in Kafr Qassem to build a network for transferring weapons and funds into Judea and Samaria.

The money transfers from Turkey to Israel were carried out using cryptocurrencies, which were converted to cash by Israeli money changers.

The suspects involved in the Hamas-affiliated network then used the cash to purchase weapons from arms dealers in the Negev, which were subsequently transferred to the Judea and Samaria area.

Indictments are expected to be filed against the suspects in the next few days.

The Shin Bet noted that some of the members of the network had gained Israeli citizenship through family reunification, enabling Palestinian Arabs married to Israeli Arabs, or with Israeli Arab relatives, to receive legal status in Israel.

“This is a serious case that reveals how elements in Turkey — including Arab Israelis and citizens through family reunification — exploit their ties in Israel and their access to Judea and Samaria in order to transfer funds and weapons that, it is feared, may ultimately reach terrorist operatives,” the Shin Bet said.