The Shin Bet security agency said Sunday that it had foiled dozens of planned terror attacks in the West Bank over the past year that were directed by Hamas operatives based in Turkey.
According to the agency, the operatives belong to Hamas’s so-called West Bank Headquarters, a unit responsible for advancing attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces in the West Bank and Israel.
“Over the years, and with increased intensity over the past year, operatives in the West Bank Headquarters have been directing and advancing extensive military activity into the West Bank and Israel from Turkish soil, including recruiting operatives to carry out attacks and transferring weapons and funds into the area to advance military activity,” the Shin Bet said.
The agency said senior Hamas official Zaher Jabarin, based in Istanbul, heads Hamas’s West Bank activity, while Ayman Abu Khalil heads the group’s military wing in the territory.
The Shin Bet also named several additional Hamas operatives it said reside in Turkey and operate under the West Bank Headquarters framework. They include Ayman Sharawna, who worked to recruit operatives; Muhammad Mallah, who also spends part of his time in Qatar and worked to transfer funds for terror activity; Majed Jaaba, who assisted in providing the weapon used in a November 2023 shooting attack at a Jerusalem-area checkpoint; Walid Abu Nassar, who financed a Hamas network in Bethlehem; and Salam Yaish, who recruited operatives to carry out attacks.
According to the Shin Bet, the Turkey-based operatives directed a broad terror network that included recruitment, coordination meetings with West Bank operatives, and the transfer of funds and weapons into the territory.
The agency said the Hamas operatives “carry out their activities unhindered from Turkish territory,” and exploit “infrastructure in the country to transfer instructions and funds” to terrorists in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet and IDF said they viewed the freedom of action enjoyed by Hamas operatives in Turkey with great severity, as well as the involvement of local operatives in the West Bank in moving funds and weapons.
They said security forces would continue working to thwart threats and protect Israel’s security.