By: Fern Sidman – Jewish Voice News

In a dramatic counterterrorism breakthrough, Israeli security forces have dismantled a large-scale Hamas terror network operating south of Jerusalem, thwarting a series of “imminent” bombing and shooting attacks that were reportedly in their final stages of preparation. The sweeping operation, coordinated between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Police, and the Shin Bet internal security service, was described by officials as one of the most significant terror-prevention actions of the year.

According to a joint statement published Wednesday afternoon and reported on Thursday by World Israel News, the multi-agency effort prevented attacks that could have killed numerous Israeli civilians and security personnel in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem areas. The statement emphasized that the terrorist infrastructure — comprising dozens of Hamas operatives — had been meticulously organized, heavily armed, and dangerously close to execution.

The network, which the World Israel News report identified as operating out of the Bethlehem district, had reportedly been recruiting members for months, establishing multiple operational cells, and securing weapons caches to be used in coordinated assaults on both civilian and military targets.

Israeli officials said the raids were the culmination of an extensive Shin Bet intelligence investigation. Working with the Etzion Brigade, the elite Duvdevan counterterror unit, and LOTAR special operations teams, security forces conducted more than 15 simultaneous raids across the region in the early hours of the operation.

Roughly 40 Hamas-affiliated terrorists were arrested during the sweep. A cache of weapons — including explosives and an M-16 assault rifle — was confiscated. Investigators believe these arms were to be deployed in a wave of coordinated attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces operating in and around Jerusalem.

A senior Shin Bet official quoted in the World Israel News report described the terror cell as “well-organized, disciplined, and alarmingly advanced.” One of the affiliated cells, he noted, had already finalized operational plans, with the timing and targets for its attacks pre-selected.

“According to our assessment,” the official said, “these attacks were not theoretical. They were in a state of immediate readiness. Their implementation could have led to the loss of many innocent lives.”

As the World Israel News report detailed, the discovery of the Hamas network was the product of weeks of precise intelligence gathering by the Shin Bet. Investigators used a combination of human intelligence (HUMINT), technological surveillance, and informant networks to map out the cell’s infrastructure, identifying its leaders, weapons suppliers, and logistical hubs.

The report noted that Shin Bet operatives were able to infiltrate the group’s communications network, intercepting messages that revealed advanced planning for simultaneous bombing and shooting operations in Jerusalem’s southern approaches, including highways frequently used by Israeli commuters and patrol routes near the Gush Etzion area.

Security analysts told World Israel News that Hamas has increasingly focused on the Bethlehem-Jerusalem corridor as a strategic staging ground — an area where dense civilian populations, porous boundaries, and proximity to the capital present opportunities for infiltration and surprise attacks.

The Duvdevan Unit, renowned for its ability to operate undercover among Palestinian populations, led the tactical phase of the operation, conducting pre-dawn raids with the support of LOTAR’s counter-terror division and the Etzion Brigade’s reservist forces. Eyewitnesses in the area described armored personnel carriers and helicopters coordinating over Bethlehem’s outskirts as arrests unfolded in rapid succession.

According to the information provided in the World Israel News report, Israeli intelligence agencies have been tracking a renewed push by Hamas leadership in Gaza and abroad to build operational networks within Judea and Samaria — particularly as the group faces sustained military pressure in the Gaza Strip.

In the wake of Israel’s ongoing counterterror operations following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, Hamas has sought to expand its terror infrastructure into the West Bank, attempting to ignite a second front of violence. The Bethlehem network appears to have been a key element of that strategy, intended to strike the symbolic and geographic heart of Israel — the Jerusalem region.

Security analysts quoted in the World Israel News report said that the newly uncovered cell bore all the hallmarks of Hamas’s evolving operational doctrine: decentralized recruitment, locally sourced weapons, and encrypted communications between regional operatives and handlers abroad.

“This was not a ragtag group of militants,” one Israeli intelligence source told World Israel News. “This was a strategically directed unit working under the guidance of senior Hamas operatives, likely based outside the immediate area, who were overseeing logistics and funding.”

The foiled attacks, the source added, “were designed to have both psychological and political impact, showing Hamas’s ability to strike beyond Gaza, even as it suffers military losses.”

The Shin Bet emphasized that one of the most alarming aspects of the case was the degree of readiness of at least one sub-cell within the network. “They were days, perhaps hours, away from execution,” said a senior defense official quoted in the World Israel News report. “The intelligence we obtained left no doubt that the attacks were imminent.”

The planned assaults reportedly included suicide bombings, roadside IEDs, and drive-by shootings, echoing the deadly tactics used by Hamas and its affiliates during the Second Intifada.

Analysts noted that the terrorists’ ability to assemble weapons and coordinate across multiple villages in the Bethlehem area reflects a worrying trend: the resurgence of structured terror networks in parts of Judea and Samaria once thought to be under firm security control.

“The foiling of this network underscores how crucial ongoing intelligence work is,” said Lt. Col. (res.) Eyal Zisser, a Middle East expert cited in the World Israel News report. “Hamas continues to exploit social, economic, and political instability in the region to recruit operatives, often using family or clan structures to conceal their activities. Only through constant vigilance can these plots be uncovered before tragedy strikes.”

The timing of the discovery is not accidental. As the World Israel News report observed, Hamas has faced mounting military setbacks in Gaza, where Israeli ground and air operations have dismantled much of the group’s command infrastructure. In response, Hamas leaders have turned their focus toward Judea and Samaria, seeking to destabilize the area through organized violence and localized uprisings.

Israeli defense officials believe that the Bethlehem-based network was part of this strategic redirection — an effort to project strength and resilience despite the heavy losses inflicted on the group’s forces in Gaza.

“Hamas is desperate to demonstrate that it remains capable of threatening Israeli lives anywhere, at any time,” an IDF intelligence officer told World Israel News. “But every attempt they make is being met with decisive preemption and disruption.”

Following the arrests, Israel’s security agencies issued a unified message of resolve. “The Shin Bet, the IDF, and the Israel Police will continue to act to thwart any attempt by the Hamas terror organization to promote terrorist activity against the State of Israel and its citizens,” the statement read. “All those involved will be brought to justice.”

As the World Israel News report emphasized, this declaration reflects more than a routine warning. It draw attention to Israel’s broader strategy of preemptive defense — an approach that relies on intelligence dominance and rapid operational execution to neutralize threats before they manifest.

The operation south of Jerusalem, analysts say, exemplifies this doctrine in action: the seamless integration of surveillance, intelligence analysis, and special operations to disrupt terror activity at its inception.

In the aftermath of the arrests, the IDF maintained heightened readiness across Judea and Samaria. Roadblocks were erected, and patrols increased around sensitive junctions. At the same time, Israeli authorities emphasized their commitment to maintaining daily life and economic stability for Palestinian civilians uninvolved in terror activity.

“We distinguish between terrorists and the population,” a senior security source told World Israel News. “Our goal is to protect all lives, not to punish communities. But we will not allow Hamas or any other group to turn the Bethlehem area into another launchpad for terror.”

The dismantling of the Hamas network near Jerusalem marks a major intelligence and operational success for Israel’s security establishment — one that likely averted catastrophic loss of life. As the World Israel News report noted, it also highlights the persistent and adaptive nature of the terrorist threat Israel faces, even as it continues to wage war against Hamas in Gaza.

For the Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel Police, this latest operation reaffirms the principle that constant vigilance is the price of safety. In the volatile landscape of the Middle East, where terror networks evolve as quickly as they are dismantled, Israel’s multi-layered defense system — powered by intelligence precision and operational courage — remains its first and most essential line of defense.