JNS
According to the "severe indictment," the main defendant tried to form a terror cell and reached out to Hamas and Hezbollah for help in carrying out attacks.
Three Palestinian terrorists from Hebron have been charged with plotting to murder Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his son, the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday following a joint investigation.
According to the "severe indictment" submitted this week to the military court, the main defendant, Ismail Ibrahim Awadi, contacted several individuals to establish a terror cell, acquire weapons and manufacture explosive devices.
Awadi reached out to the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations in July 2024 for assistance in carrying out a series of planned attacks.
According to the indictment, Awadi tracked the travel routes of Ben-Gvir and his son, identifying the vehicles used and counting the number of security personnel surrounding the minister. One option he considered was assassinating Ben-Gvir after he arrived at the scene of a terrorist attack, which the minister regularly does.
Israeli security forces have thwarted numerous attacks targeting Ben-Gvir since he took office.
The ISA revealed in September that a Tehran-sponsored terrorist cell plotting to carry out attacks in the Jewish state, including assassinating Ben-Gvir, had been caught. Five suspects were arrested—three Palestinians and two Israeli citizens.
The Israeli Attorney General's Office said in June that the leader of a Hamas terrorist cell based in eastern Jerusalem that had planned to assassinate then-opposition lawmaker Ben-Gvir and carry out a series of other attacks against civilians had been sentenced to 13 years and 10 months in prison.
In April, the ISA said that it had thwarted a plot to kill Ben-Gvir with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) or other means. Seven Israeli Arabs and four Arabs from Samaria were arrested in connection with the plot.
JNS reported in March that a man from eastern Jerusalem had confessed to plotting to assassinate Ben-Gvir following his arrest.
