BEITA (VINnews) – Israeli security authorities have arrested 10 members of a Hamas terror cell from the town of Beita near Nablus in Judea-Samaria who carried out explosive and shooting attacks against troops and were planning additional major assaults, including the kidnapping of a local Jewish resident.

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet security agency, Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces said the suspects were behind several explosive attacks between March and April 2025 that wounded three soldiers, two of them seriously. The cell also carried out multiple shooting attacks, according to the authorities.

The group was preparing “additional significant mass-casualty attacks, including plans to execute a kidnapping attack,” the statement said. One cell member dug a six-meter-deep (about 20-foot) tunnel beneath his home intended to hold hostages, officials added.

As part of the kidnapping plot, the suspects conducted surveillance on a Jewish resident in the area they intended to abduct. The attack was ultimately not carried out because the cell determined it would be too difficult to execute, the statement noted.

Israeli forces seized numerous weapons from the suspects during the arrests, including an assault rifle and explosives.

Indictments have been filed against all 10 members at the Samaria Military Court. Some face charges of attempting to intentionally cause death — the equivalent of attempted murder under military law — as well as attempted kidnapping.

The arrests were announced Wednesday.