Two Gaza Terrorists Nabbed in Israel, One Month After October 7 Attack

Latest Developments

Two Palestinians who took part in the Hamas massacre of October 7 were captured after hiding in Israel for a month, the Israeli police said on November 20. The two infiltrators were taken into custody two weeks ago in Rahat, an Israeli Arab village about 15 miles east of the Gaza Strip. There were no Israeli casualties during the arrest, and the two are under interrogation. One was previously known to the Shin Bet as a Hamas operative.

Israel is holding an unspecified number of Hamas and other terrorists who stormed in from Gaza, massacred approximately 1,200 people, and triggered the now almost seven-week-old war. The Justice Ministry has set up a task force to examine whether current Israeli legal frameworks enable their prosecution on charges that could include genocide and crimes against humanity.

Expert Analysis

“The arrests attest to the infiltration by Palestinian terrorists involved in the worst attack in Israel’s history. As many as 2,000 or 3,000 infiltrators took part, overwhelming the security forces and sowing chaos in a wide radius. But what is more troubling here is the likelihood that these two found safe harbor, at least for a while, among Israeli Arabs — a minority that has largely rallied to the state since the horrors of October 7. Authorities must throw the book at any citizens found to have abetted these terrorists.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Hamas killed indiscriminately on October 7. Men, women, and children; Jews and Arabs. Several members of the Israeli Bedouin community were murdered and at least four from Rahat were taken hostage, including a girl. Given the losses Rahat suffered at the hands of Hamas, the terrorists would likely not have been welcome or safe there for long.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

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