Another Hamas kidnapping thwarted – could it have been another Gilad Shalit? Shalit Protest Tent in Jerusalem showing the number of days in captivity. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
A Jerusalem resident previously involved in violence on the Temple Mount was one of six operatives of a Hamas terror cell planning a kidnapping—as well as a shooting attack in Jerusalem and a bomb attack—that were arrested before they could strike. An IDF press release said the plan was to kill an Israeli civilian and hide the body to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
The leader of the cell was convicted of plotting terror for Hamas in the past. The leader is from Hebron, and the cell admitted to checking out caves around Hebron for hiding a body.
The plot sounds eerily similar to previous kidnappings of Israelis—a number of whom have been killed by their attackers. Kidnapping is nothing new for Hamas, which was behind the kidnapping and murdering of three Israeli teenagers a couple summers ago.
Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman Ofir Gendelman said on Twitter that the latest plot was “meant to be similar” to the kidnapping of the three teens.
Hamas also was involved in the taking of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. Shalit was later exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
After the Jerusalem members of the recently-arrested cell were captured, the Hebron members sought to make explosives for a terror attack.
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, January 7, 2016)