Israel’s Shin Bet security agency busted a Hamas terror cell comprised of east Jerusalem Palestinians who planned to carry out attacks against high profile targets, including hawkish Member of Knesset Itamar Ben Gvir.
Five men were arrested for planning a shooting attack against Ben Gvir, in addition to kidnappings of Israeli soldiers and a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem. Authorities also seized a drone that was intended to be weaponized for an attack on Jerusalem’s light rail.
The cell’s leader Rashid Rashek, from Jerusalem’s Old City, was described by authorities as a “prominent” Hamas operative who was also in charge of mobilizing Hamas supporters to riot at the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan “in order to destabilize the Temple Mount and Jerusalem.”
Ben Gvir reacted to the Shin Bet’s announcement by blaming the Hamas plot on “leftists”, as well as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
“The writing was on the wall. The incitement of the leftists against me and the statements of Bennett and Lapid toward me did their part, and it turns out that a squad of terrorists planned to try to harm me and my family,” Ben Gvir said.
“Words can kill!” he added.
Last month, Bennett banned Ben Gvir from marching at the flashpoint Damascus Gate in the Old City, over concerns that it would lead to a flareup.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh this week warned Israel against allowing right-wing Israelis to hold the annual “Flag March” in Jerusalem’s Old City next week to mark Jerusalem Day, which falls on Sunday.
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