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At Gaza hospital, troops nab Hamas operative involved in 2014 murder of Israeli teens

By Emanuel Fabian 20 March 2024, 5:51 pm 1 Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF troops operate at Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the military on March 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Illustrative: IDF troops operate at Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the military on March 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Mahmoud Qawasmeh, a senior Hamas operative involved in the planning of the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel, was detained by troops at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the Shin Bet announces.

In a statement, the security agency says Qawasmeh was nabbed earlier today by IDF troops at the medical center, and brought to Israel for further interrogation.

Qawasmeh was “one of the planners and financiers of the infrastructure that carried out the kidnapping and murder attack” in 2014, the Shin Bet says.

The Shin Bet says he had been exiled to the Gaza Strip as part of the 2011 Shalit deal, where he continued to work on attacks in the West Bank, including shooting attacks in recent years carried out by Hamas cells.

From left to right: Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel (Courtesy)

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