Jerusalem – Hamas has smuggled 40 tons of weapons into the Gaza Strip this summer, apparently intent on resuming suicide bombings in Israel, according to an Israeli-intelligence assessment of the militant Islamic group.
A senior officer of Shin Bet, the domestic security agency, told the Cabinet in private Sunday that Hamas’ exiled leadership in Syria was plotting attacks to sabotage peace talks between Israel and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.
Israeli officials confirmed that the unnamed officer had made the statements after they were published Monday in the Haaretz newspaper on the eve of a round of talks between the Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders. Israeli media said the intelligence officer gave no evidence to support his testimony.
The officer said Hamas had brought as many weapons into Gaza since it seized full control of the territory in mid-June as it had in the previous 22 months. He said the Islamic group was increasingly frustrated by Gaza’s international isolation.
“The chances of suicide attacks by Hamas are growing, both in Gaza and the West Bank and outside the country,” the officer was quoted as saying.
A Hamas official in Gaza, Ahmad Youssef, denied that the group intended to renew suicide bombings. Hamas’ last such attack in Israel was in 2004.
But Israeli leaders took the reported weapons buildup as a credible threat. They accused Egypt, which has an anti-smuggling agreement with Israel and publicly supports the peace talks, of allowing Hamas to move arms, ammunition and explosives from Egypt into Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from Egypt.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are to meet in Jerusalem today.
The two sides have conflicting agendas. Abbas has said he wants to settle core issues, such as final borders, that would lead to an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Israeli leaders want to reach an “agreement of principles” that would guide future talks on the details of a settlement.
