The IDF and Shin Bet said Sunday they dismantled a Hamas terror cell operating in Judea and Samaria. During interrogation, one of the operatives led forces to a weapons cache containing an M16 rifle and a large quantity of explosives.
The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed Sunday that they dismantled a Hamas terror cell in Judea and Samaria, with one of the arrested operatives leading forces to a weapons cache containing an M16 rifle and a large quantity of explosives during interrogation.
Initial reports at 14:13 Jerusalem indicated that security forces had arrested ten Hamas operatives in the village of Aqabah, seizing a rocket without a launcher that was destroyed at the scene. The operatives were initially suspected of planning a large-scale attack inspired by the October 7 massacre. At 14:39 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that a detained operative had disclosed the cache, which the latest statement from the military confirms. The number of arrests and the rocket were not mentioned in the final confirmation.
The operation is part of broader Israeli counter-terror efforts in Judea and Samaria. As The Zioneer reported in June, a tunnel and weapons cache were uncovered near Jerusalem in a foiled major terror plot. Weekly IDF operations have resulted in dozens of terror suspects arrested and weapons confiscated across the region.
The military has not disclosed whether the cell was in advanced stages of planning an attack, and the initial suspicion of an October 7-style plot has not been officially reiterated in the latest statement.
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