Israel’s Shin Bet security agency announced the thwarting of terrorist attacks orchestrated by Hamas militants operating in Turkey. An official statement released on Sunday confirmed that over the past year, Israeli intelligence agencies have managed to neutralize numerous planned attacks on the West Bank coordinated from Turkey.
Shin Bet named several key figures operating in Turkey and part of the so-called Hamas West Bank headquarters – a branch of the terrorist group responsible for plotting attacks against Israel.
For many years, and especially in the past year, operatives from Hamas West Bank headquarters have directed and coordinated large-scale military activity in Israel from Turkey. This includes recruiting perpetrators to carry out attacks, as well as transporting weapons and funds throughout the region to support the military activity, according to the agency.
Intelligence agencies say, Zaher Jabareen, a senior Hamas official in Istanbul, oversaw the group’s territory. Ayman Abu Khalil heads the organization’s military wing in that territory. The agency also named other operatives, local government officials, and legislative representatives under the aforementioned headquarters.
According to reports, Hamas militants operate unhindered in Turkey, using the country’s infrastructure to transmit instructions and resources to terrorists in the West Bank.