Two of the group's key members, Salam Abbas Saltan, a 28-year-old operative who previously served a term in Israeli prison, and his cousin, 20-year-old Sahaib Mamun Saltan, admitted that they had attempted to carry out a terror attack in the West Bank last December.
According to the Shin Bet, the two said during interrogation that they had tried to attract IDF soldiers to a site in Tel Rumeida where a powerful explosive was planted, by throwing a smaller explosive device. The attack was unsuccessful due to a technical malfunction.
Hamas, an Islamic Palestinian organization that has a military wing, has launched numerous deadly attacks on Israeli targets over the last years. The group is regarded as a terrorist organization by several states, including Israel.
In mid-2014, Hamas, which had de-facto control over the Gaza Strip, formed a unity government with the more moderate Palestinian Fatah party.
