Israel warns Hamas ‘sleeper cells’ could be activated amid fears of attacks across Europe over Christmas
- READ MORE: Briton attacked by Islamist fanatic in Paris was a grandfather
Undercover Hamas networks are operating across Europe, Israel has warned in a chilling letter to around 20 European leaders, as fears mount over terror attacks being carried out this Christmas.
The EU this week warned that there is a ‘huge risk of terrorist attacks’ over the coming weeks, with community tensions in cities across the continent inflamed by anger over the Israel-Hamas war.
Now, in a letter to European leaders, the head of research at Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry has warned that Hamas has a ‘complex network of hatred operating in many countries, including Western and highly democratic ones.’
The Israeli government warned that Hamas operatives and sympathisers around Europe are active and alleged that their ‘activity has already yielded results and produced consequences.’
It comes after an Islamist who pledged allegiance to IS went on a bloody rampage on the streets of Paris, leaving one dead and two injured during a knife and hammer rampage near the Eiffel Tower.
French gendarmes patrol the Trocadero plaza near the Eiffel Tower after a convicted terrorist attacked passersby late on Saturday
File image shows members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas terror group in Gaza
Israel has warned in a chilling letter to around 20 European leaders
Letters were sent on Wednesday to leaders in the UK, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Germany, and representatives of the European Union, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Amid fears that ‘sleeper cells’ could be activated in European states, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli reportedly shared evidence of terrorist activity with the leaders.
He said in the missives: ‘Weeks have passed since the barbarism that Hamas committed against infants, children, the elderly, and thousands of Israeli citizens.
‘This is not the time for ambiguity. I want to clarify this unequivocally. Hamas has proven that their goal is to kill Jews everywhere.’
They gave examples of individuals they said have links to Hamas in the UK, Italy and elsewhere.
Bar-Oz also added in the letters: ‘Hamas has been operating for many years worldwide, mainly through covert humanitarian donations.’
He went on to say that Hamas agents ‘must be uprooted and eradicated as soon as possible’, suggesting failure to do so could see more atrocities committed.
European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said anger caused by the Israel-Hamas war made violence more likely.
French forensic policemen investigate the scene following a knife attack in Paris, France, on December 3, 2023
READ MORE: Europe faces a ‘huge risk of terrorist attacks’ over Christmas, EU official warns
‘We saw (it happening) recently in Paris, unfortunately we have seen it earlier as well,’ she said, referring to the stabbing near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday that left one dead and two injured.
Johansson said the EU was making £26million available for additional security in vulnerable areas, notably places of worship.
She did not specify whether there was any information in particular that had resulted in the warning.
The fatal attack at the weekend left a German-Filipino tourist dead and two others, including a British man, injured.
Police arrested convicted terror plotter Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, 26, at the scene.
Shortly before the rampage, Rajabpour-Miyandoab posted a video online pledging his allegiance to the Isis terror group, alongside other recent posts objecting to Israel‘s invasion of Gaza.
A man was stabbed to death and two other tourists injured in the frenzied attack in Paris
European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the EU was making an additional £26million available for additional security in vulnerable areas, notably places of worship (File Photo)
Following the attack, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sent her condolences to France and said it highlighted ‘just how acute and how serious the threat posed by Islamist terrorism is currently in the EU.
‘The war in Gaza and Hamas’s terror are exacerbating this situation,’ she told reporters.’
Europe is on high alert as city centres fill up and tourists flock to Christmas holiday hotspots, with recent years seeing deadly terror attacks on festive markets in Berlin and Strasbourg.
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