The Shin Bet thwarted a plot by a Hamas cell in the West Bank to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the security agency announced Wednesday.
The would-be assassins sought to kill the minister with explosive-laden drones. They were arrested in the West Bank by security forces several weeks ago.
According to the Shin Bet, the suspects are operatives in a Hebron-based Hamas cell that acted under the command of the terror group’s headquarters in Turkey.
They allegedly purchased several drones in order to attach explosives to them. The drones were seized upon the operatives’ arrest, the Shin Bet said, adding that its investigation into the terror cell was ongoing.
Following the revelation of the plot, Ben Gvir thanked the Shin Bet, police and other agencies for working to protect him.
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“I will not be deterred and I will not be afraid! Hamas has already tried to eliminate me five times, and each time they failed — this time too,” the far-right minister said in a video statement.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is seen after a visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on August 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
He praised God and thanked security forces for their efforts, vowing to “continue to lead a hardline policy in Israel’s prisons against terror, demand a complete victory in Gaza, and the erasure of Hamas.
“The terrorists must know: instead of them harming us — we will harm them, everywhere and at any time,” Ben Gvir declared.
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