Eurasia Press & News
Mohammad Abu Adra’s background allowed him to move freely between Rehovot in Israel and Rafah in Gaza via the Erez crossing.
An Israeli citizen has been arrested and indicted for collecting information for Hamas about the location of Iron Dome missile batteries, an Israel Security Service (Shin Bet) investigation has revealed.
Through his family ties, Mohammad Abu Adra, 43, from Rehovot, the son of a Bedouin father and a mother from the Gaza Strip who is married to a woman from Gaza, was afforded him convenient access in and out of the coastal enclave through the Erez passenger crossing.
During his visits to Gaza, Hamas officials met with Abu Adra and recruited him as an agent about 18 months ago. He was arrested by the Shin Bet on February 3.
An indictment against Abu Adra was filed by the Southern District Attorney’s Office at Beersheba District Court on Friday alleging grave security offenses, including: membership of a terrorist organization and passing information to the enemy, among others.
“This is another example of Hamas’s use of Erez Crossing for [hostile] activity… and demonstrates the strategy that Hamas’s leadership continues to promote in order to undermine stability in the region,” a Shin Bet source said.
The investigation shed light on the method and scope of Hamas’s military infrastructure, and the recruiting of Abu Adra is one of many cases of the work terror groups have attempted to carry out in Israel.
In September 2020, two Bedouin men were indicted at Beersheba District Court after the Shin Bet arrested them on suspicion of planning to carry out a bomb attack on behalf of Hamas.
“The Shin Bet takes seriously the exploitation of Israeli citizenship for aiding terror activities and will continue to act to thwart such actions by Hamas and [other the terror organizations] in the Gaza Strip, and will seek to prosecute those who aid terrorism,” a Shin Bet statement said.
