(JTA) — Israeli security services uncovered a Hamas plot to carry out several large-scale terror attacks on Israeli targets.
More than 30 Hamas members involved in the plot were arrested in September, according to the Shin Bet security service and the Israel Defense Forces, which released information about the plot on Thursday.
The targets included the Teddy soccer stadium in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem light rail system, and also involved car bombings, infiltrations into Israeli communities, attacks on military sites and the kidnapping of Israelis in the West Bank and abroad. The operatives trained mostly in Syria and Gaza, and many were recruited from Jordan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security services for foiling the plot.
“This action was publicized but there are very many actions that remain secret, counter-terrorist actions against Hamas, which challenges the existence of the Jewish nation-state and, in effect, challenges the existence of Jews in general. We are operating day and night in order to maintain the security of Israel’s citizens. The people who do this are deserving of all praise and support,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
An attack in the northern West Bank on Aug. 31 tipped security services off to the terrorist network, which was led by Hamas headquarters in Turkey, according to the Shin Bet.