Hamas members. Photo: Truth Revolt.

The Shin Bet intelligence agency, IDF, and Israel Police forces arrested 40 Hamas members after uncovering a major terror network and military cell in Nablus earlier this week. The joint operation had been underway for months.

“The network’s aim was to bring about renewed Hamas activity in Judea and Samaria, including preparing the ground for terror attacks,” the Shin Bet told Tazpit News Agency in a statement.

Information gleaned from detainees indicated that the cell was the hub of a broad network that Hamas had been establishing in Judea and Samaria.

Among the most striking aspects of the network was its high level of financial organization. Hamas’ Nablus chapter was funded through an intricate system of money transfers that involved the smuggling of gold and jewelry from Jordan into Israeli-controlled territory. A local Nablus jewelry business was used as a cover for the smuggled goods. The proceeds from the sale of gold and jewels – purchased by Hamas operatives abroad – were used to fund the network’s operations.

In the course of the crackdown, the Shin Bet and Israel Police confiscated approximately 4 million shekels’ (about $1 million) worth of gold and jewelry.

The investigation has been transferred to the Judea and Samaria military prosecutor, who is expected to issue indictments against the suspects in the coming days.