(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)

In a joint IDF, Israeli Police and ISA operation this morning in Ramallah, security forces arrested senior Hamas terrorist Ibrahim Hamed, who masterminded some of the most deadly terror attacks against Israel in recent years and was known within the Hamas as head of its "military wing" in the West Bank.

Hamed, 41, originally from the village of Silwad, was wanted by Israeli security forces since 1998 for carrying out terror attacks resulting in the death of over 60 Israelis and the wounding of hundreds. Among the attacks:

• The murder of 11 Israelis in a double attack by a car bomb at Zion Square in downtown Jerusalem (December 1,  2001).
• The murder of 12 Israelis in a suicide attack at the Moment cafe in Jerusalem (March 9, 2002).
• The murder of six Israeli citizens in a suicide attack in the Sheffield Club in Rishon Lezion (May 7, 2002).
• The murder of nine Israelis in a suicide attack in the cafeteria of Hebrew University of Jerusalem (July 31, 2002).

Hamed directed the Silwan cell, which was based in Jerusalem and comprised of Jerusalem Arabs, and carried out the attacks including: the attack at the fuel depot at Pi Glilot outside Tel Aviv(June 23, 2002) and attacks against the railroad (on June 21, 2002 and July 30, 2002); these attacks resulted in injuries only.

Haled also tried to carry out strategic attacks against buildings, railway infrastructure and gas depots.