Shin Bet Foils Hamas Attack Orchestrated From Turkey

By Yoni Weiss

The Shin Bet on Monday announced the foiling of a deadly attack planned by Hamas, orchestrated under the direction of the organization’s headquarters in Turkey.

The operation led to the arrest of key terrorists and the seizure of a powerful explosive device.

The arrest, which took place on March 15, involved Anas Shurman, a Palestinian originally from Tulkarm now residing in Jordan. Shurman was apprehended in Shechem by Shin Bet and Israeli Military Intelligence (IMM) fighters. He was suspected of being deeply involved in the planning of a major attack inside Israel.

During his interrogation, Shurman revealed that he had been recruited by Emad Ebid, a Hamas operative based in Turkey, back in December 2023. Shurman had agreed to carry out a suicide attack on behalf of Hamas.

Preparations for the attack included Shurman creating a video will, undergoing motorcycle training for the planned attack, and receiving funds and detailed instructions. He was also directed to retrieve a hidden explosive device from the Shomron region.

The Shin Bet investigation uncovered a 12 kg explosive device concealed near a spring in the Shomron region, along with a letter containing detailed instructions for the attack.

Subsequent arrests were made, targeting several Hamas operatives in the Israeli Occupied Territories (IOS), all part of the Hamas military infrastructure in Shechem. These operatives were found to be involved in preparing the explosive device for Shurman under the guidance of Hudifa Salaima, another Hamas terrorist in Turkey.

Shurman now faces serious charges in the military court in the Shomron, including attempting to cause death, contact with the enemy, and involvement in an unlawful association. Additionally, indictments have been filed against five Shechem residents, accusing them of severe security offenses, including attempts to cause death.

This incident follows another thwarted attack on March 11, where a terrorist from Jenin, en route to carry out an attack in Israeli territory with a ready-to-use bomb, was neutralized by Shin Bet fighters.