The Israeli Shin Bet announced that it had dismantled in recent weeks a cell belonging to the Hamas movement in the West Bank.
In a statement, the security agency said that the cell consisted of more than 50 members and was preparing to launch attacks against Israel.
The announcement came a day after an attack by a Hamas member in East Jerusalem killed an Israeli individual and wounded three others, including two policemen. The operation prompted Israeli security to raise the level of alert in Jerusalem for fear of further attacks.
The Shin Bet said that it dismantled, in cooperation with the Israeli army and police, a terrorist cell affiliated with Hamas in the West Bank, which aimed to carry out attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Weapons, explosives and military equipment were seized.
The agency added that the cell members received funding from Hamas leaders, led by Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, who is responsible for the West Bank area.
According to the Shin Bet, activists from different areas in the West Bank, such as Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin, were recruited for the cell. One of these members, Hijazi al-Qawasmeh, 37, had been arrested several times for planning attacks against Israeli targets.
Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, 42, one of the movement’s political leaders in the Shuafat camp in the city, carried out the Jerusalem operation and was killed during a clash there.
Israeli Defense Minister Omer Bar-Lev said that the operation was orchestrated and well-planned, based on the fact that the wife of the perpetrator had left Israel a few days before. However, Abu Shkhaydem’s wife returned on Sunday with her son and was immediately arrested by the Israeli security authorities.
