JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Hamas-affiliated terror cell that was planning attacks in Israel was arrested in the West Bank, the Israeli military said.
The six men arrested in the Palestinian city of Kalkilya confessed to plotting a series of terror attacks against Israelis, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday in a statement. The suspects also revealed where to find dozens of pounds of chemicals used to manufacture explosive devices.
The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency made the arrests in a joint operation.
During the investigation, the cell members provided detailed information on the location of a weapons lab located in central Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The explosives manufactured there were meant to be used against Israelis, according to the IDF.
The Hamas operatives said they were recruited while staying in Jordan and then trained by Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said. They were transferred to the West Bank for further terror and recruitment activities.
According to the men, they had been instructed to carry out terror attacks on Israelis during Protective Edge, Israel’s 50-day operation against Hamas in Gaza over the summer.
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