Israeli Police and the Shin Bet have successfully disrupted a terrorist cell composed of East Jerusalem residents. According to an announcement made on Tuesday, the group was operating under the direct instructions of a senior Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) operative based in France.
Between November and December 2025, authorities arrested five East Jerusalem residents with suspected PFLP affiliations for questioning. The investigation identified Salah Hamouri, a high-ranking PFLP terrorist, as the individual responsible for their recruitment.
Hamouri, a lawyer with a documented history of involvement in militant activities, was previously implicated in the 2005 attempted assassination of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Following his involvement in various terror plots, his Israeli residency was revoked in 2022, leading to his relocation to France, where he holds citizenship.
Israeli Police reports indicate that since relocating to France, Hamouri has maintained contact with terrorist elements to coordinate and plan attacks, leveraging his existing ties in Israel to recruit local operatives.
During the investigation into Hamouri’s operations, the Shin Bet discovered that throughout 2024 and 2025, Hamouri met with the East Jerusalem residents at multiple locations across Europe. During these meetings, he recruited them into the cell and provided them with mobile devices equipped with encrypted communication tools to coordinate their activities.
The investigation further revealed that the recruited individuals had already engaged in several actions intended to promote terrorist activity within the Jerusalem region.
Formal indictments have been filed against two of the recruited East Jerusalem residents. They face multiple terrorism-related charges, including active membership in a terrorist organization, dealing in property for terrorist purposes, and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism.