It has been cleared for publication that the Islamist Hamas planned a terrorist attack against israelis during the country’s recent elections period. The Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet, announced in a statement that in a joint operation with the IDF, an attempted suicide car bombing was successfully thwarted.
Just nine days prior to the April 9 elections, a suspected Hamas operative from the West Bank village of az-Za’ayyem, was apprehended. The interrogation that followed established that the suspect, 23 year-old Yehiye Abu Dia, was recruited via social media and was instructed by his Hamas’ handlers in the Gaza Strip to prepare a vehicle filled with explosives for the purpose of committing a suicide terror attack.
The investigation further revealed that the intended target was the Israeli West Bank city of Ma’aleh Adumim, which is located seven kilometers east of Jerusalem, where there would have been a high concentration of civilians and soldiers.
A senior security official undercored in a written statement that Hamas in Gaza is constantly working to recruit operatives from Judea and Samaria, which is the biblical term for the West bank, to carry out murderous terror attacks against Israelis, in order to undermine the security and stability of the area.
The official further noted that Israel’s security aparatus has foiled many such attacks in recent years and will continue anti-terrorism operations against Hamas. The Islamist Hamas organization did not immediately respond to TV7’s request for comment.