Israel Foils Hamas Drone Attack Targeting Security Minister Ben-Gvir

Following the Hamas attack on October 7th, attempts targeting Israeli officials have intensified.

Menahem KAHANA / AFP

Following the Hamas attack on October 7th, attempts targeting Israeli officials have intensified.

Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, announced on Wednesday that it had foiled a planned attack on Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

A Hamas cell from the Hebron region in the West Bank had intended to use multiple explosive drones to target the minister. Authorities believe the group received instructions from Hamas members in Turkey.

The suspects were arrested weeks ago in the West Bank.

Minister Ben-Gvir thanked security forces on X, writing:

Thank you to the General Security Service for arresting another cell that attempted to assassinate me. The captured terrorists can now see firsthand the current conditions in our prisons, the darkness is over. There is no fear of eternity.

Since the Hamas pogrom on October 7th, 2023, attempts against Israeli officials have been recurring. Shin Bet reports that it prevented 1,040 significant terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem in 2024 alone.

Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Ben-Gvir have been frequent targets of Islamist terrorist groups.

Security Minister Ben-Gvir has faced six foiled assassination attempts since October 7th. In November last year, three Palestinian terrorists planning to target Ben-Gvir and his son with explosives and firearms were arrested. A month earlier, a drone strike hit Netanyahu’s residence, though he was not present.

Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.