The group is alleged to have planned bombings and shootings against Israelis and was apparently supplied by the Gaza-based terror organisation
November 13, 2025 14:05
Israeli forces have arrested 40 people in a series of operations targeting Hamas cells in the West Bank.
Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, confirmed the arrests on Thursday, alleging that the suspects were members of Hamas-affiliated groups preparing to carry out terror attacks.
The agency, in collaboration with the IDF and Israel Police, carried out more than 15 raids aimed at neutralising the network. A cache of weapons was also seized during the arrests.
Subsequent interrogations revealed that senior Hamas leaders had recruited West Bank residents to conduct shooting attacks against Israelis in the territory and supplied them with the weapons to do so, according to Shin Bet.
One of these attacks was believed to be imminent at the time of the arrests, investigators added.
"[The operations] prevented major shooting and bombing attacks that could have resulted in significant [casualties],” an agency spokesperson said.
"One of the terror cells was at an advanced stage of readiness to carry out attacks in the immediate term.”
The investigation has now been handed over to the Military Prosecution division, which will decide whether to charge the suspects.
It comes after four Israeli settlers were arrested in the West Bank following rioting and attacks on Palestinians on Tuesday night.
More than a hundred people were reportedly involved in the unrest in Tulkarem, which ended without any reported fatalities.
Violence erupted around Bayt Lid and Dayr Sharaf, with reports of masked Israelis attacking Palestinians and setting fire to property.
The unrest was condemned by the IDF’s senior officer in the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, who said the settlers’ actions “undermine security stability”.
He also rejected allegations that the IDF is reticent to enforce the law against Jewish extremism in the West Bank, saying: “The directive to IDF soldiers is clear: Do not stand by, and do everything in your power to prevent any act of nationalist crime.
“We will do this in full cooperation with our partners in the police and the Shin Bet; only in this way will we eradicate the phenomenon.”
“This violence harms the settlements and harms the State of Israel. We will not accept a situation in which lawbreakers harm property and innocents, undermine stability in [the West Bank], and divert the IDF’s attention from its mission of defence and counterterrorism.”
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