Police capture Hamas network that planned to kidnap, murder Israelis

The Israel Police announced on Thursday that it had apprehended a six-member Hamas terror network that planned to kidnap and murder Israelis similar to the way in which three Israeli teens were murdered in July 2014. The head of the network is Maher Qawasmeh, a 36-year-old resident of Hebron who had previously been jailed over terror offenses. He was arrested with two other residents of Hebron and three Israeli Arab residents of the Old City of Jerusalem. Explosives and weapons were found in their possession. The investigation discovered that the six intended to kidnap Jews, murder them, hide the bodies in a cave and negotiate with the authorites to exchange the bodies for Palestinian prisoners.