Gazan with Medical Entry Permit Caught Working for Hamas

A resident of Gaza exploited his permit to enter Israel for medical treatment to scout for potential recruits for the Hamas terror group, the Shin Bet security service said Thursday.

Hamas member Ahmad Abu al-Nour, 27, was arrested on January 24, and has since given interrogators valuable information about Hamas, the Shin Bet said.

Al-Nour reportedly entered Israel for medical treatment last year but never returned home, instead staying in Israel illegally “for a number of months.” The Shin Bet refused to give his specific date of entrance into Israel.

While in Israel, he sent back the names of potential recruits to his handlers in Gaza, though his efforts “did not succeed,’ the Shin Bet said,

Unlike in many cases in which Hamas has coerced vulnerable Palestinians with medical permits to advance its aims, in this case, al-Nour was a long-time, willing member of the organization.

The security service said he joined Hamas in 2009, training to operate anti-tank guided missiles, and “took part in military activities against the State of Israel and even operated under the organization’s secret service.”

The Shin Bet refused to comment as to whether or not it was aware of al-Nour’s affiliation with Hamas before he was granted the medical permit, but said there have been cases where known members of the group have been allowed in anyway.