Shin Bet Arrests Hamas Terror Operative Involved in Protective Edge
The Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) cleared for publication Wednesday the arrest of a Hamas activist, who belonged to the military wing of the terror group in Gaza for the past 10 years, after he crossed the security fence between Gaza and Israel.
During the investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police, authorities uncovered substantial information about the activities of 24-year-old Bilal Razheina and the Hamas military wing with regards to the digging of tunnels.
Razheina, a resident of Gaza, is the brother of Mustafa Razheina, head of the internal security apparatus of Hamas in northern Gaza. He was arrested in November 2017 after crossing the security fence between Gaza and Israel.
The investigation revealed that Bilal was a member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and was involved in several of its terror activities including, inter alia, marksmanship training, armed guard duty and the digging of tunnels. Bilal divulged important information on the routes of the tunnels in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and on the Hamas methodology in digging them.
In relation to that investigation, the Shin Bet uncovered a tunnel on his family house’s grounds leading to other tunnels in the area, all of which served as weapons warehouses.
Bilal further confessed information on several of Hamas’ outposts, including his activities as a sniper in the terrorist organization and on other operatives within Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.
Finally, Bilal admitted that during the 2014 IDF Operation Protective Edge, he, his brother and senior Hamas members had hidden out in the Kamal Adwan hospital in the Strip whence they directed military operations, while other senior Hamas members hid out in civilian establishments, a violation of humanitarian law. During the operation Bilal was a messenger between his brother and other senior members of Hamas.
According to the Shin Bet: “The information obtained in the investigation, together with information received from the interrogation of other Hamas activists who were arrested last year, illustrates the many efforts that Hamas is investing in as part of preparations for a military confrontation with Israel.”
The investigation’s findings were transferred to the Be’er Sheva District Court which should yield an indictment against Bilal on accounts related to security offenses such as crimes of membership and participation in unlawful association and further weapons offenses.
Jerusalem police also arrested on Wednesday morning two 17-year-olds from the neighborhood of Silwan, adjacent to the Old City, on suspicions of prior attacks against security officers during their patrols with petrol bombs. The police spokesman stated that both suspects had confessed to the accusations.
The IDF Spokesperson stated that during nightly raids in Judea and Samaria, the security forces had arrested 16 wanted men, 12 of them on suspicions of involvement in grassroot terrorist activities and, violent mass disturbances against civilians and security forces.
In addition, the IDF raided a weapons manufacturing workshop including weapon parts and ammunition.