Big Hamas Terror Op Thwarted

Hamas, based in the Gaza Strip, saw its terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria dismantled and destroyed in the Second Intifada, which cost over a thousand Israeli lives. But recently it began quietly been laying the groundwork to mount a Third Intifida, assembling two large cells in the West Bank totaling over 30 terrorists.

The IDF and Shin Bet uncovered a Hamas plan to use the cells to launch a series of massive terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and across the country from Judea and Samaria, during the chagim. This discovery took place amid a spate of lone-wolf attacks in the West Bank over the past few weeks, most of which were foiled b’chasdei Hashem.

The planned massive attacks during the chagim were to have been carried out with help from Hamas in Gaza. The planning and preparation took place with the utmost secrecy. During the captured terrorists’ interrogation by the Shin Bet and IDF throughout the week, it became clear that only open miracles prevented the elaborate scheme from coming to fruition.

Lone-wolf attacks continued late last week even as remaining members of the Judea and Samaria terrorist cells were hunted down. Of the terrorists, some 20 were arrested last week, while 12 more, all members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, were eliminated when they resisted arrest, opening fire on Israeli troops.