Israel: Warnings of attempts by Hamas to capture soldiers

While Israel is preoccupied with the coalition’s efforts to push through controversial judicial reforms, warnings have been made that an armed cell from Hamas is planning to capture a soldier or settler in an effort to release its prisoners from the occupation’s prisons.

Meir Ben-Shabbat, the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, published an article on Channel 12 warning: “According to the Shin Bet’s statement, the members of the squad equipped themselves with combat equipment, gathered information, conducted field patrols in order to learn about the routines of the soldiers serving in the Benjamin area, planned escape routes and even prepared a hiding place to hold the soldier who would be kidnapped. They acted with the support and guidance of the Hamas headquarters abroad and in Gaza.”

“If the planning of the kidnapping attack was indeed done following the instructions of the Hamas headquarters or with its approval and was not the result of a local initiative, then it must be seen as an organisational decision to renew the use of the kidnapping method for bargaining purposes,” he warned.

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“In the view of Hamas, the kidnapping attacks are the main path to bring about the release of its people imprisoned in Israel.”

This, he added, means “the Hamas leaders have come to terms with the fact that the assets in their hands are not enough to bring about a worthwhile exchange deal, so they are trying to get more cards,” in reference to the four Israelis being held by the resistance in Gaza.

Calling for the targeted assassination of Hamas leaders, Ben-Shabbat said: “The time has come to say goodbye to some of the figures who have been leading the ‘kidnapping operations’ against us for years, chief among them is Saleh Al-Arouri, who lives abroad. His unnatural departure, under circumstances attributed to Israel, will strengthen the deterrence.”