Israel Detains Senior Hamas Operative Linked to Deadly 2011 Attack

Israel has held a senior Hamas military wing operative, Basel Salahiya, for about two years and now plans to put him on trial, i24NEWS reporter Avishai Greenzeit revealed. Salahiya had a falling out around five years ago with Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif, which led to his imprisonment by Sinwar's order. When the recent conflict began, Israel bombed the prison where Salahiya was held, prompting Hamas to move him to house arrest. Subsequently, Israeli Defense Forces arrived, arrested him, and transferred him to Israel.

Salahiya's detention marks a significant development and closes a chapter that started in 2011. He was responsible for a deadly attack in which Hamas fired a Kornet missile at a school bus, killing a 16-year-old boy. In 2021, Salahiya told Arab media that the enemy had discovered much of Hamas's tunnel network and instructed his men to avoid using them unless absolutely necessary, preferring his fighters to operate above ground.