The Shin Bet has uncovered a large-scale Hamas operation in the city of Hevron, it was cleared for publication Tuesday. The terror cell included a large number of women who maintained secret contact with the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip and abroad. This connection included the transfer of messages and instructions, the transfer of funds to finance terror activities, and the coordination of activity. The Shin Bet investigation revealed that the cell promoted Hamas activity in Hevron, which included the recruitment of activists, the coordination of activities in mosques, preaching activities, increasing support lines, intelligence gathering, online incitement, assistance to prisoners' families, and more. Hamas also attempted to take control of the Hevron municipality and various charities in the city. The cell was led by Nizar Shehadeh and Faras Abu Sharh - both of whom are senior and well-known Hamas terrorists who had served prison terms several times in the past for their terrorist activity. Shehadeh and Abu Sharah used a number of women who established a central committee to serve as the operational arm of Hamas' headquarters in Hevron. The committee was headed by Dina Karmi, the widow of Nashat Karmi, a terrorist who carried out an attack in 2010 in which four Israeli civilians were killed. Karmi was killed in a shootout with IDF forces. Abu Sharaf and Shehadeh acted behind the scenes in conveying instructions to women to promote the terror group\s activity on the ground. Over the years, the committee has expanded its activity by mobilizing dozens of activities for Hamas and establishing numerous subcommittees. Within this framework, a number of activities were also sent to meetings with Hamas commanders, who were released during the Shalit deal, headed by Haroun Nasser Adin, who is in Turkey, to receive money, messages, and instructions. Several members of the cell, including Faras Abu Sharah, Dina Karmi and a number of other activists who have worked for Hamas in Hevron, have been indicted in military court in recent days. The Shin Bet stated: "The exposure of the infrastructure proves once again that the Hamas headquarters in the Gaza Strip and abroad are directing Hamas activities in Judea and Samaria, through of any means at their disposal, including through the use of women. These elements are constantly working to inflame Hamas activity in Judea and Samaria and to this end recruit emissaries traveling on the route between Judea and Samaria and abroad for the purpose of transferring terrorist funds and messages to operatives in the field."
