Earlier in the day, Israeli daily Haaretz said, citing the Israel Security Agency, that Hamas prepared students to operate undercover upon their return to the West Bank.
"The Israeli accusations are aimed at preventing West Bank [Palestinian] students from traveling abroad to pursue their studies and providing a justification for their arrest upon their return," Hamas said in a statement quoted by the World Bulletin.
Israel has long accused Hamas of carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In July 2014, Israel launched a military operation, codenamed Protective Edge, in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The conflict lasted seven weeks and resulted in an open-ended ceasefire.
Either Hamas or its military wing is considered to be a terrorist organization by a number of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Egypt.
Russia, Turkey and China do not designate Hamas a terrorist group.
