Arch Hamas terrorist wanted since 1998 nabbed by elite IDF unit

Soldiers from the elite undercover Duvdevan unit, together with Shin Bet arrest terrorist let go by Palestinian security forces.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Ayoub Al-Kawasma (photo credit: Courtesy)
Ayoub Al-Kawasma
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The IDF on Tuesday tracked down and apprehended a Hamas member wanted for terrorist offenses since 1998.
Soldiers from the elite undercover Duvdevan unit, together with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), arrested Ayoub al-Kawasma in Hebron, security sources said. There were no exchanges of fire or other violence during the arrest operation.
Kawasma was a senior member of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank in the 1990s, security sources added. He was wanted for his role in a number of terrorist attacks, but vanished in 1998.
He resurfaced in 2010, and was arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces. A little over a week ago, for reasons unknown, the PA released Kawsama from prison, leading the IDF to begin planning his arrest.
Separately on Tuesday evening, Palestinians threw four firebombs at an Israeli vehicle near the Habitot junction, south of Nablus. There were no injuries.
The IDF said it stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in the attack.