Israel claims to arrest Hamas cell in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, on Tuesday claimed to have busted a Hamas-linked cell in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, Shin Bet said the 3-member cell had planned to carry out a shooting attack against Israeli soldiers.

According to an indictment filed against the three men at the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday, the suspects had carried out observations on a bus stop in the city where they planned to shoot at Israeli soldiers who frequently wait for transportation there.

The suspects were charged with contacting a foreign agent, membership in a terrorist organization, conspiring to commit a terrorist act, among other offenses.

There was no comment from Palestinian group Hamas on the allegation.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces rounded up 10 Palestinians in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli army.

The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in terrorist activities and violent disorder”, the army claimed in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including dozens of women and scores of minors.

Roughly 500 of these are being held without trial or charge under what Israel calls "administrative detention".

The Israeli army frequently carries out sweeping arrest campaigns across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians.