60 arrested after subterranean Hamas terror base uncovered in Hebron area

Israeli security forces uncover massive terror plot in the Hebron area, complete with secret underground network dug beneath the city, involving dozens of terrorists in at least 10 separate Hamas cells.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli security forces uncovered a massive underground Hamas terror infrastructure in the city of Hebron, south of Jerusalem, in what security officials have called the biggest terror bust in Judea and Samaria in over a decade.

On Sunday, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced that an extensive subterranean hideout, which was also used to store weapons, was discovered recently in Hebron.

The tunnel was uncovered during a three-month joint operation by the Shin Bet, Israel Police and the IDF targeting Hamas terror operations in the Hebron area.

During the operation, Israeli forces revealed that Hamas operatives in Hebron were gearing up for a series of attacks on Jewish targets and were actively engaged in recruiting, arming, and training more terrorists for the planned attacks.

The massive terror plot spanned 10 separate Hamas terrorist cells, including over 60 terrorists with plans of shooting attacks and bombings against Israelis, the Shin Bet said.

Terrorists recruited for the attacks had engaged in weapons training, gathered intelligence on potential targets, and assembled explosive devices.

The attacks were to have targeted Israelis both in Judea and inside pre-1967 Israel.

After the terror plot was exposed Israeli authorities arrested the more than 60 terrorists involved and seized 22 guns of various types, 11 fragmentation grenades, and large quantities of ammunition.

As part of the operation, the Shin Bet said that it solved the August 31, 2010 terrorist shooting attack at the Bani Na’im Junction near Hebron in which four Israelis were murdered.

A number of terrorists linked to the new plot were determined to be involved in the 2010 attack.

In addition, several terrorists arrested in the crackdown were linked to the November 16, 2023 attack south of Jerusalem that left one IDF soldier dead.

“This is the largest and most complex terror investigation the Shin Bet has conducted in Judea and Samaria in over a decade,” the Shin Bet said.

“Most cell members were experienced ex-prisoners who maintained strict compartmentalization between different squads.”

“The exposure of this covert network constitutes a major blow to Hamas’s plans to execute a series of serious attacks inside Israel.”