November 06, 2001
ISA And IDF Arrest Tanzim Cell Responsible For Gilboa Area Attacks (Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

During September and early October, the ISA and IDF Central Command forces arrested a Tanzim cell from Samaria which was responsible for the 9.8.2001 murder of Aliza Malka on August 9, 2001 (see http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0kbs0) and the wounding of three other Israelis in a shooting attack near Kibbutz Merav on Mt. Gilboa, and a series of other attacks in the Gilboa region.

The cell was composed of six terrorists from villages in northern Samaria: A'a Karim Ali A'Rahman Nadi, 38; Muhammad Tzalah Mehmed Abu Sif, 27; and Metkael Natzri A'a Razek Jaloudi, 29, all residents of Faqua. The other members were: Khacham Natzri Ahmed Zriki and Hadad Nasser Khader A'a Hafez, both 22, from Beit Qad; and Bassam Hasin Ahmed A'a Rov, 28, from Jelaboun.

During questioning, the members also confessed to perpetrating the following attacks:

1. Planting a bomb which exploded in the Druze village of Massada on the Golan Heights on August 14, 2001.

2. Planting bombs - which were discovered and dismantled by the IDF - near kibbutz Maaleh Gilboa.

3. Planting a bomb - which exploded but caused no damage - near Kibbutz Merav in May 2001.

4. Planting a bomb in Suweitat village on June 1, 2001 and shooting at IDF forces.

The cell also planned to kidnap an Israeli citizen in the Gilboa region, infiltrate a car-bomb into Israel in the vicinity of Beit Shean, murder Israeli drivers and shepherds near Faqua, bomb an IDF tank in the Gilboa region and shoot at vehicles on the approach road to Malkishua; their arrest foiled these planned attacks.