The following has been cleared for publication:
The Shin Bet last May uncovered an attempt to infiltrate into Israel an explosives expert who was trained by the Hamas military wing over the course of about one year to establish an explosives lab in Judea and Samaria.
The expert, Fadi Abu al-Sabah, 35, caught the Hamas’ attention when he contacted a physician in Gaza and paid her to prepare false documents purporting to show that he could not receive proper medical treatment in the Gaza Strip, so he could apply for a permit for treatment in Jordan.
Furnished with the necessary permits, Fadi underwent training in preparing explosives and became proficient enough to train terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
Al-Sabah, a resident of Nusseirat in the Gaza Strip, was arrested in Taibeh on May 18 by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.
Al-Sabah was recruited into the Hamas military wing in July 2018. In addition to training in explosives preparation, he was also taught how to pass the questioning process at the Erez Crossing as well as interrogation by the Shin Bet.
Fadi was recruited by Ashraf Sabah, 37, a Hamas terrorist from the Gaza Strip, who was released from an Israeli prison in 2015 after having served 12 years for involvement in bomb attacks against IDF forces along the Gaza Strip border and for planning additional attacks.
The Shin Bet and Israel Police investigations revealed that in July 2018 Fadi was first contacted by Sabah after the latter had heard that he was in the process of applying for a humanitarian permit to receive medical treatment in Judea and Samaria. The goal of contacting Fadi was to exploit the entry permit in order to advance terrorist activity.
In July-September 2018, Fadi met secretly with Hamas militia Izzedine al-Qassam terrorists who trained him in explosives use. Their secret meetings were held at the home of Matsab Hasalmon, a member of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, who was released by Israel in the Gilad Shalit deal, with Ashraf Sabah, his brother Hassan Sabah, and additional Hamas terrorists.
The Shin Bet also learned that before leaving to receive medical treatment, Fadi received from Ashraf a coat with a hidden piece of cloth on which were written code words for encrypted communication between the military wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the recruits in Judea and Samaria.
Fadi was told to deliver the coat after passing through the Erez Crossing. But his plan was exposed following a series of recent arrests of Hamas terrorists who had been recruited by the military wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On May 15, Fadi went to the Erez Crossing carrying a bag containing the coat with the hidden piece of cloth. Once in Israel, he joined up with Hamas members in Hebron. He was arrested on May 18. Following his investigation, a severe indictment was filed against Fadi in Judea Military Court.