Israeli security forces arrest Hamas cell planning assassination of Ben-Gvir

A Hamas terrorist cell from the Hebron area was arrested in recent weeks by Israeli security forces for plotting to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir using explosive-laden drones.

The joint operation by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Defense Forces uncovered that the suspects had acquired drones with the assistance of Hamas’s Turkey offices, the IDF and Shin Bet stated.

Multiple drones were seized during the arrests, the statement noted.

Israeli security forces have thwarted numerous attacks in recent years targeting the right-wing minister, who heads the Otzma Yehudit Party.

In March 2023, Israel Police arrested a man from eastern Jerusalem who confessed to plotting to assassinate Ben-Gvir. The Arab suspect planned to steal police license plates and affix them to a car to get close to him.

Six months later, the Israel Security Agency arrested five suspects who Iran allegedly recruited to murder Ben-Gvir and former Knesset member Yehudah Glick, both staunch advocates of Jewish prayer rights on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

In April 2024, the Shin Bet foiled a plot to kill Ben-Gvir using a rocket-propelled grenade. According to authorities, terrorists also planned to attack Ben-Gurion Airport, the government complex in Jerusalem, Israel Defense Forces bases, other sensitive sites and the town of Kiryat Arba.

Seven months later, three Arab terrorists from Hebron were charged with plotting to murder Ben-Gvir and his son. The main defendant, Ismail Ibrahim Awadi, was in touch with the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups for assistance in carrying out a series of planned attacks.

“Thank you to the Israel Security Agency for arresting another cell that tried to assassinate me,” Ben-Gvir wrote on Wednesday.

“The terrorists who were caught will now get to know the updated conditions for the terrorists in our prisons up close,” said Ben-Gvir, whose ministry is responsible for the Israel Prison Service.