Hamas fighters. Photo: Wikipedia.

JNS.org – Israeli security forces have in recent months continuously thwarted large-scale terror attacks planned by Hamas, to the point that only one successful attack during the current wave of Palestinian terrorism was carried out by the Gaza-ruling group, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer said Wednesday.

“We have seen, in recent months, many attempts by organizations to carry out terror attacks….In the past six months, of all the attacks that occurred, only one was orchestrated by Hamas,” said the officer, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency as well as the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division have worked together to stop a number of terrorist plots—some in their advanced stages that would have resulted in mass casualties. The IDF officer added that “potential triggers for renewed escalation” include a large-scale attack during Passover and Palestinian violence involving Jerusalem’s Temple Mount holy site.

“At a certain stage, we saw where terror attacks were going,” the officer said. “There are around six locations in the Judea and Samaria Division’s area of coverage that we pay attention to. The Division covers 126 settlements and more than 450 Palestinian villages. We saw order emerging in the attacks; 40 percent of attackers were drawn to these six locations. That is where we focused our efforts.”

The Judea and Samaria Division will increase its security forces during Passover.