Israeli forces capture Hamas terror cell in Samaria

Israeli security forces captured another Hamas terror cell in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories of Judea and Samaria.

By: Atara Beck, World Israel News

The Shin Bet, Israel’s Security Agency (ISA), in conjunction with IDF forces, were successful in apprehending a Kalkilya-based Hamas terror cell which was in the process of planning a series of terror attacks in Israel, an ISA spokesman announced on Sunday.

The Israeli forces seized tens of kilograms of explosive materials during the investigation.

The cell, which consisted of six terrorists, was enlisted by Hamas operatives in Jordan. They were trained in Gaza before returning to Samaria to continue plotting attacks and enlist more terrorists.

The group also established an explosives lab in Shechem (Nablus).

The ISA named the apprehended terrorists, all of whom hailed from the Palestinian Authority-administered territories: Abdullah Muhammad Yusuf Zitawi (26); Walid Muhammad Abu Zina (26); Malik Raad Faruq Ghanem (22); Raja Khaled Raja Tsabara (22); Jasser Muhammed Saeed Abu Omar (42), and Baha al-Din Fathi Mahmoud Tsuan (33).

The cell’s actions were directed by Hamas headquarters in Gaza, which ordered a stepping-up of terror during Operation Protective Edge.

Terror Directed from Abroad

The ISA spokesman stressed that this successful arrest is yet another example of Hamas’s high motivation to commit acts of terror. The operation also sheds light on how attacks are directed from abroad.

In November, the ISA announced that it had arrested a 30-member, foreign-trained terror cell, which included two Jordanians and a Kuwaiti national. A large cache of weapons was seized during that operation as well.

The terror network was intending to target Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium and its light rail system. Both attacks, if executed, would have caused massive casualties. The ring was also planning infiltration attacks, kidnappings and car bombs.

In late February, security forces were successful in thwarting a series of planned terror attacks by a Hamas cell operating out of Hebron.

In January, the ISA revealed that it had captured a terror cell affiliated with the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) terror organization.