Israeli forces in northern West Bank detain prominent Hamas operative planning to carry out terror attacks

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

A prominent Hamas operative who was planning to carry out terror attacks was detained by Israeli forces in the Jenin area in the northern West Bank last night, authorities say.

Members of the Shin Bet security agency, the police’s Yamam counter-terrorism unit, and the IDF operated last night in the village of Silat al-Harithiya and detained several suspects who had been wanted by Israel for a long time.

The detained Palestinians “over the past few months had planned to carry out attacks on behalf of Hamas against Israeli civilians and IDF troops” in the West Bank, the Shin Bet, police, and IDF say in a joint statement.

Among those detained was Alaa al-Bitawi, a resident of Jenin, identified by the Shin Bet as “one of the heads of Hamas” in the Jenin camp.

A handgun and several explosive devices were seized during the arrest of al-Bitawi and the other suspects, the statement adds.

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