MOSCOW, November 27 (Sputnik) – The Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet has arrested more than 30 Hamas militants on suspicion of planning major terrorist attacks in Israel, including on the country’s biggest football stadium in Jerusalem, the spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister said Thursday.
“Shin Bet arrested a large Hamas cell in the WB [West Bank] (30+ ppl) that received orders from Hamas HQ [headquarters] in Turkey to carry out terror attacks in Israel,” Ofir Gendelman said on his official Twitter account.
Shin Bet arrested a large Hamas cell in the WB (30+ ppl) that received orders from Hamas HQ in Turkey to carry out terror attacks in Israel
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) 27 ноября 2014
The militants were planning large-scale terror attacks, including “car bomb attacks, kidnapping Israelis & bombing the light rail & a stadium in Jerusalem,” the official added.
The busted Hamas cell (orders came from Turkey) planned car bomb attacks,kidnapping Israelis & bombing the light rail&a stadium in Jerusalem
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) 27 ноября 2014
All the detainees belonged to one terrorist cell and their leaders were trained abroad, The Jerusalem Post reported. Most of the militants were arrested in September, but Shin Bet has only just given clearance for this information to be published, the news outlet said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated over the summer, when Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against the Hamas movement in response to the group's rocket attacks against Israel. More than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and over 60 Israelis lost their lives as a result, according to the United Nations.
In late August Israel and Palestine agreed on an open-ended ceasefire, brokered by the Egyptian government.
However, the tensions have escalated again recently, after Israel announced its plans for new settlements in East Jerusalem.
