Hamas grows bolder in West Bank
Israel has warned Egyptian intelligence that Hamas operatives in the West Bank are fueling demonstrations and conducting lone-wolf operations there.
Hamas operatives seem to have renewed their activity in the West Bank in response to Israeli raids in the wake of the recapturing of six Palestinians who escaped an Israeli prison in September.
The recent raids of West Bank villages reveal Israel’s concerns over Hamas’ renewed activities. On Sept. 26, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the village of Biddu, north of Jerusalem. According to the Israeli military, the three men were part of Biddu cell planning to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.
Israel sent a warning via Egyptian intelligence, accusing Hamas of attempting to inflame the situation in the West Bank by fueling demonstrations and conducting lone-wolf operations against Israel, Rai al-Youm newspaper revealed on Sept. 28.
The London-based newspaper cited anonymous sources as saying that Israel warned in an urgent message via Egyptian mediators that Hamas will pay a heavy price if it continues to inflame the situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and that all the economic incentives announced in early September to instill calm in Gaza will be halted.
