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Israel arrests Palestinians over forming Hamas terror cell in West Bank

Xinhua, March 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israel's Security Services (the Shin Bet) military and police said on Sunday that six Palestinians have been arrested over forming a Hamas cell in the West Bank.

According to a statement by the Shin Bet, "the cell was planning to carry out terror attacks in Israel."

The suspects built a weaponry laboratory in an apartment in central Nablus, the Shin Bet said.

During an arrest operation, Israeli security forces confiscated dozens of kilograms of sulfur and 25 grams of fulminating mercury, "which are used to manufacture explosive device," according to the statement.

A military spokesperson said the suspects confessed to plotting a series of terror attacks against Israelis.

The spokesperson added that during the investigation, members of the cell admitted to be recruited to the military branch of the Hamas, while staying in Jordan.

"They were then trained by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and transferred to Judea and Samaria (Israeli term for the occupied West Bank) for further terrorist and recruitment activities," said the spokesperson.

Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization, rules the Gaza Strip. A volatile truce in August last year put an end to a 50-day-long war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants. About 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed during the mini-war. Enditem