Hamas for the first time is admitting it was responsible for the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank, a flashpoint that helped lead to the current war in Gaza.
Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas religious figure, told a conference in Turkey Wednesday that the group’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, carried out the “heroic operation” with the goal of sparking a new Palestinian uprising.
“It was an operation by your brothers from al-Qassam Brigades,” he told sympathizers in, adding Hamas had hoped to exchange the youths for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel has all along accused Hamas of orchestrating the kidnapping and identified two operatives who remain at large as among the chief suspects.
Israeli officials said this month that they had arrested the suspected ringleader of the cell that carried out the abduction.
That arrest led to information that the group received money from Hamas operatives to fund the operation, officials said.
“Hamas has no qualms whatsoever about targeting innocent civilians,” Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said after Arouri’s admission.
The kidnapping and killing of Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, sparked an Israeli crackdown on Hamas throughout the West Bank.
Hamas responded with rocket fire out of the Gaza Strip, leading Israel to launch aerial and ground invasions of the territory.
An Egyptian effort to mediate a cease-fire collapsed this week, leading to a resumption of fighting highlighted by overnight airstrikes that killed three senior Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip Thursday.
The commanders — Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al-Attar and Mohammed Barhoum — had led operations against Israel over the past 20 years, the Islamist movement said.
Israel said the men were involved in the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held for five years and exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Shin Bet, Israel’s security service, named Attar as an architect of Hamas’ tunnel network used to infiltrate Israel from Gaza.
On Tuesday, as a 10-day cease-fire collapsed, Israeli jets bombed a house in northern Gaza. Hamas called it an attempt to assassinate Mohammed Deif, its top military commander.
Deif’s wife, daughter and 7-month-old son were killed. Hamas said Deif survived.
Meanwhile, Israel said it would call up 10,000 reservists to replace soldiers on the front lines of the 6-week-old conflict.