​(Communicated by the ISA)
 
The following has been cleared for publication:
 
On 21 September 2016, at Erez Crossing, the ISA, in cooperation with the Israel Police, arrested Mahmoud Yusuf Hasin Abu Taha, a resident of Khan Younis, as he sought to enter Israel via the Erez Crossing ostensibly for commercial purposes.

During his investigation it was learned that he led a terrorist cell guided by Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, and had been planning to carry out a large-scale terrorist attack at an events hall in the south and to abduct and murder an IDF soldier for bargaining purposes.
 
It was also learned that Mahmoud Yusuf Hasin Abu Taha had been recruited by Wael Sufiyan Abu Taha, a senior Islamic Jihad terrorist, who resides in Gaza, and who had directed him to establish a military infrastructure and prepare to carry out the aforementioned attacks. Mahmoud Yusuf Hasin Abu Taha, in turn, recruited three additional cohorts who have also been arrested:
 
* Shafik Hamad Abu Taha, born in 1961, from the Gaza Strip, who had been present in Israel illegally. He was employed at the events hall where the attack was to have been perpetrated.
 
* Ahmed Taysir Abdul Rahman Abu Taha, born in 1977, from the Gaza Strip, who had also been present in Israel illegally; and
 
* Hani Massoud Nasir Abu Amra, born in 1976, originally from Deir Al-Balah, who had been living in the south after receiving temporary resident status for "family unification."
 
It was further learned that in order to advance terrorist activities, Mahmoud and Shafik had carried out an advance tour of the designated events hall, and formulated and developed an operative plan in order to maximize the number of casualties.
 
At the same time, Mahmoud began to plan to abduct and murder an IDF soldier for bargaining purposes. To this end, he received, from Wael Sufiyan Abu Taha, thousands of shekels in order to rent a flat in Israel to which the soldier would be taken in order to be murdered and buried; his personal effects were to be delivered to the Gaza Strip to be used for negotiations.
 
Indictments were filed today (Thursday, 20 October 2016), in Be'er Sheva District Court by the State Attorney's Office (Southern District).
 
This grave case underscores – again – the efforts of Gaza Strip-based terrorists to carry out murderous attacks in Israel, in addition to their activities in the Strip. The case also reiterates the manner in which terrorists will exploit  humanitarian and economic permits to enter Israel, as well as the risk posed by Palestinians present in Israel illegally.