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Steven Emerson,
Executive Director
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February 6, 2017
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Israel
Foils Another Hamas Kidnapping and Murder Plot
Feb 6, 2017 at 1:14 pm
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Israeli security forces indicted three Palestinians Monday,
saying they were part of a Hamas terrorist cell planning to kidnap and kill Israelis in the West Bank
and within Israel.
According to the indictment, Hamas officials in Gaza sent instructions
to the terrorists via Facebook, explaining how to carry out shooting
attacks, detonate explosives, and coordinate kidnappings around Hebron. The
cell also scouted several locations within Israel for future attacks, including
a bus station in Afula, a military base, the Binyamina Train Station, and a
synagogue. The terrorists gained important information about the targets
while working in Israel illegally.
To facilitate the attacks, the terrorists saved about $270 per month to
buy weapons, build bombs and recruit other Palestinians.
"The uncovering of the infrastructure and activities it planned
demonstrates the high threat level posed by Hamas militants, especially
those who enter Israel and remain their illegally," according to the
Shin Bet.
Israeli authorities have foiled several Hamas terrorist plots since the
latest wave of Palestinian violence, which peaked in October 2015. While
most attacks were largely individual terrorist initiatives, groups like
Hamas and even Hizballah sought to hijack the popular uprising by planning and
coordinating terrorist attacks. Both organizations failed to execute a
sophisticated attack thus far due to vigilant Israeli intelligence
practices.
In January 2016, Shin Bet foiled a Hamas terror cell seeking to kidnap and kill Israelis in hopes of using
their victims' bodies to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli jails. A similar motivation encouraged Hamas affiliated terrorists
behind the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens,
which eventually led to a full-fledged war between Israel and Hamas in
Gaza.
Palestinian terrorists continue to provoke Israel, launching
a rocket Monday from Gaza into southern Israel and firing at Israeli
soldiers working on the Gaza border fence. In response, the Israeli
military targeted several Hamas positions in Gaza with airstrikes and
artillery shells.
Last week, a senior Israeli military official told Israel's Channel 2
that Hamas has regained its military capabilities since the 2014 Gaza
war. Hamas continues to invest considerable resources to rebuild its
terrorist infrastructure at the expense of civilian reconstruction efforts.
In the meantime, Hamas actively seeks to recruit and mobilize terrorists
in the West Bank to form cells dedicated to killing Israelis in an effort
to spark chaos and eventually take over the Palestinian Authority.
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