Widow of infamous Hamas bomb-maker arrested for inciting terrorism online

The widow of infamous Hamas bomb maker Yahya Ayyash was arrested after calling for terrorist attacks in social media posts marking the 30th anniversary of his assassination by Israel, police said on Sunday.

The suspect, identified as a woman in her 50s from the Samaria city of Nablus (Shechem), was apprehended by Israel Police forces over the weekend after she in recent days published “inciting content online, praising and glorifying terrorist organizations,” a statement said.

Among other social media posts, the terrorist’s widow posted a video praising her husband’s suicide bombings targeting buses, as well as showing weapons and funerals, adding: “The hopes will return.”

In some posts, Ayyash’s widow praised other terrorists, calling them “brothers” and “guiding stars,” according to police.

Yahya Ayash, Hamas’s former chief bomb maker, who was also known as “The Engineer,” orchestrated attacks that killed at least 90 Israelis, primarily civilians. Israel killed Ayash, who led Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades wing in Judea and Samaria, on Jan. 5, 1996.

His widow was “arrested and transferred for questioning” by police, according to Sunday’s statement, which added that the investigation was ongoing.

In a second case, a man in his 50s from Nablus was arrested after he published “inciting content and expressions of identification with terrorist organizations,” the statement continued.

The arrests over the weekend were carried out “in cooperation with all units of the Judea and Samaria District and the security services, with the clear objective of locating, arresting and bringing to justice anyone who seeks to disseminate messages supporting violence and terrorism, or to glorify and praise terrorists and acts of terror,” according to the statement.

“Anyone who identifies with, supports, encourages or incites terror and acts of violence should know that our eyes are open—we will use all means at our disposal and will not allow the publication of inciting content,” police vowed.

Last year, Hebrew media reported that a special division was set up under the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command to tackle online incitement in the wake of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

The new division is led by members of the Military Prosecution in the Judea and Samaria Division, along with IDF intelligence personnel and operational officers, under OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.

A military order issued by Bluth has established a minimum sentence of one year in prison, at least half of which must be served, Ynet reported.

While Jerusalem’s efforts are bearing fruit with a decrease in inciting posts, this is partly due to people learning how to word their content more carefully to avoid legal action, as well as opting for social media platforms that are more difficult to monitor, an Israeli official said.