Israeli law enforcement authorities revealed on Tuesday that they had traced a failed suicide bombing that occurred in Tel Aviv in August to a Hamas cell based in Turkey.
A terrorist later identified as Jaafar Muna, a resident of the West Bank, self-detonated in the streets of Tel Aviv on August 18, killing himself and injuring one other person. It is not clear at press time why Muna’s explosive backpack went off in a relatively poorly populated area, but authorities noted at the time that such an explosive detonated indoors or in a crowded place could have caused substantial human damage. The target of the attack appeared to be a nearby synagogue.
Hamas and a similar regional terrorist entity, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), claimed responsibility for the failed attack, promising a wave of future suicide bombings and similar attacks within Israel. The attacks, the claimed, would continue “as long as the occupation’s massacres, the displacement of civilians and the policy of assassinations continue.”
The statement referred to Israel’s self-defense operations against Hamas in response to the jihadist groups invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of an estimated 1,200 Israelis, the abduction of another 250 (of which about 97 remain in captivity), and a large number of instances of torture, gang rape, infanticide, and other atrocities. Israel declared war on Hamas on October 8 to prevent the terrorists, or other affiliated jihadist groups, from repeating the slaughter. Hamas and its sympathizers routinely describe Israel’s self-defense actions as a “genocide” and campaign against Palestinian civilians, rather than Hamas.
In addition to Hamas, PIJ, and other Iran-backed proxies in the region, Israeli Police and the Shin Bet security service pointed a finger at the government of Turkey in its statement on Tuesday linking Muna to the active Hamas wing in the country.
“The findings of this investigation clearly indicate the establishment of Hamas headquarters in Turkey and their extensive efforts abroad to incite violence and carry out bombings in Israel,” the two Israeli government agencies said in their joint statement, according to the Times of Israel.
The agencies named an allegedly senior Hamas terrorist, Abada Bilal, as Muna’s contact in Turkey and the supervisor of the operation. They also reported that they had arrested nine others in connection with the attack.
“One of the operatives traveled several times to Turkey, receiving funding and explosives training from Hamas members there,” the Times of Israel paraphrased Israeli authorities as saying.
At least one senior Hamas terrorist, “diaspora” office head Khaled Mashal, has openly encouraged the terrorist group’s supporters to plan and execute suicide attacks, or as Hamas refers to them “martyrdom operations.” Notably, Mashal made the call during a speech after the Tel Aviv attack in August, speaking from Turkey.
“It is not enough for us to be proud of the resistance, watch videos on TV, and be full of praise for their heroism and sacrifice,” Mashal said at the time. “Pride and appreciation are required, and supporting them financially is also required, but these are not enough.”
“Today, in the West Bank, we have seen some successful early signs of martyrdom operations. We want to go back to the martyrdom operations. This necessitates an all-out conflict,” he insisted.
The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported last week that the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, commanded his jihadists to increase the number of suicide attacks shortly after taking over the organization. Sinwar, formerly the leader of the “military” wing of Hamas, took over all leadership responsibilities following the death of the head of the “political” wing of the group, Ismail Haniyeh, in late July. Haniyeh died when his temporary lodgings exploded in Tehran, Iran, which he was visiting to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Now is the time to revive suicide bombings,” Sinwar reportedly ordered, according to the Wall Street Journal’s anonymous “Arab officials.”
Hamas has found safe harbor in Turkey for years under the auspices of Islamist strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite the country’s status as a NATO ally and close associate to the United States and other Western nations. The terrorists have maintained a formal office in Turkey since 2011. Erdogan has repeatedly insisted that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” and the Turkish government does not officially recognize it as such. Following the October 7 massacres, Erdogan organized a rally in Istanbul attracting 1.5 million Hamas supporters to back the terrorists, which he named the “Great Palestine Rally.” There he repeatedly his false declaration that Hamas is not a terrorist organization and compared the Israeli government to Nazi Germany, a common refrain from the Turkish president throughout the past year.
Erdogan ordered the Turkish government to fly its flags at half-staff in August in response to the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a not-infrequent visitor to Ankara. Erdogan himself also admitted in May that he was receiving Hamas terrorists and offering them medical treatment amid the ongoing Israeli self-defense operations in Gaza. According to Erdogan, at the time, over 1,000 Hamas terrorists had received treatment in Turkish hospitals.
Erdogan threatened to invade Israel in July.
“We must be very strong so that Israel cannot strike Palestine,” Erdogan said during remarks to supporters of his Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP). “Just like we entered Karabakh and the way we entered Libya, maybe we’ll do the same thing. There’s nothing we can’t do. We have to be strong.”
