Two men arrested for planning terror attack with help of Hamas operative in Gaza

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of planning to carry out a terror attack inside Israel with the assistance of a Hamas operative in Gaza, the Shin Bet and Israel Police say in a statement at the end of a joint investigation.

The two suspects, a 17-year-old from Jerusalem and his 29-year-old cousin from Nablus, first made contact with the Gaza terror operative last year, prior to the October 7 terror assault and war in Gaza, and asked for assistance in creating an explosive device.

According to the investigation, the younger of the two suspects was the first to reach out to the Hamas operative, speaking to him via the Telegram messaging app. The police also discovered that he had searched the internet for information on making an explosive device.

After initially making contact with the Hamas operative, the 17-year-old revealed his plan to his cousin, who agreed to help him plan the attack and became the main point of contact for the Hamas operative helping the pair.

After the outbreak of war in Gaza, the Hamas operative cut off contact with the two men, the statement adds.

An indictment is expected to be filed against the pair later today.