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Israel has arrested 13 Hamas cells in the last six months in Judea and Samaria, where the Palestinian Authority is supposed to stop terror.

Hamas terrorists, particularly those in Hevron and Jerusalem, are directly linked to Syria, Gaza and Saudi Arabia, according to information from security officials and summarized by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

Dozens of Hamas terrorists have been arrested by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), police and the army in sweeps throughout Judea and Samaria. The primary aim of the terrorist cells was to stage a kidnapping and use the victims as bargaining chips for the release of Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons.

Hamas prisoners were heavily involved in planning terrorist attacks, including bombngs. The only attack that was not foiled was the bombing at the Jerusalem Convention Center (Binyamei HaUma) earlier this year, where one tourist was killed and dozens of others were wounded.

The failure of the Palestinian Authority to arrest the terrorists violates its commitment, dating back to the Oslo Accords and the American Roadmap plan, to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said that Hamas headquarters in Syria, along with the Gaza regime, provided instructions, arms and funds for the planned terrorist attacks.

Weapons were smuggled to Judea and Samaria from Gaza via the Sinai Peninsula and then through or around IDF checkpoints.

A Hamas terrorist situated in Saudi Arabia held meetings there to draft terrorists for the planned attacks and to hand over instructions to terrorists in Hevron, where one terrorist also is linked with Hamas terrorists in China and Turkey.

“Hamas commanders are involved in an intense effort to restore the terrorist infrastructure n Judea and Samaria to carry out attacks against Israel,” the Center stated. “They rely heavily on prisoners in Israeli jails.”