Arab Israeli, 22, accused of plot to kidnap soldier as leverage to force end of Gaza war

An Arab Israeli man from Taybeh is facing terror charges after he allegedly plotted to kidnap a soldier in order to force the end of the Gaza war, prosecutors announced on Thursday.

According to an indictment filed in the Lod District Court, Amin Hassan Abdelqader Azzam, 22, had planned for months to kidnap an IDF soldier and use him as a bargaining chip. Azzam, the charging document says, was angry about the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza and began actively working in June to recruit accomplices and equipment to carry out the kidnapping.

The indictment notes that the plot was hatched following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken, mostly civilians but also soldiers, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. Azzam allegedly believed that taking one more soldier hostage would compel Israel to end the war.

The suspect’s preparations included unsuccessful attempts at a mix of logistical, religious and operational preparations, all of which landed him in prison by the end of August. To simulate military training, for example, the indictment says Azzam began shooting practice with a paintball gun while trying to obtain real weapons.

In parallel, the indictment says, Azzam sought out the guidance of Hamas, joining the Telegram channel of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the terror group’s military wing. In June, he allegedly downloaded a Hamas handbook about battle tactics.

The following month, he allegedly began trying to obtain a weapon. His point of contact, the indictment said, was Ahmed Qassam, a man with whom he had previously discussed committing a terror attack in response to the Gaza war. Those conversations, according to the document, were held face to face, with the men’s phones turned off.

Qassam allegedly encouraged the suspect to follow through with the plan, and promised to procure a pistol or shotgun that Azzam would need to assemble himself. By August, however, when Azzam asked again for the weapons, Qassam said he was still working on getting them.

Azzam also placed several online orders for walkie-talkies and a tactical vest to carry ammunition magazines, prosecutors said.

In parallel, the indictment said, Azzam searched for accomplices and also sought religious permission to carry out his plan, asking another associate whether Islam allows the taking of a hostage as a bargaining chip. The associate, named in the indictment as Suleiman Jabali, told him Islamic law forbids taking women and children hostage but allows kidnapping a soldier.

On August 24, Azzam was arrested. He faces the charge of preparing to commit the terrorist act of kidnapping, for the purpose of murder or extortion. Prosecutors have asked that he be kept in custody until the end of his trial.