Hamas Terror Network Targeting Jews Across Europe Thwarted
A joint Mossad-European agencies counterterror operation has exposed a continent-wide Hamas infrastructure targeting Jewish sites—the network was prepared to strike "on the day the order is given."
The Mossad and European law enforcement agencies have uncovered and disrupted an extensive Hamas terrorist infrastructure designed to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe, with operations spanning Austria, Germany, and links to Turkey and Qatar, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The coordinated counterterrorism operation, led by Israel’s Mossad in cooperation with European security services, resulted in multiple arrests, the seizure of weapons caches, and the exposure of what officials describe as a continent-wide network prepared to strike “on the day the order is given.”
Key Operations and Arrests
Austrian authorities made a significant breakthrough in September, 2025 when the State Security and Intelligence Directorate uncovered a weapons depot in Vienna containing handguns and explosives. Investigators traced the cache to Muhammad Na’im, whose father, Basem Na’im, serves as a senior member of Hamas’s Political Bureau and maintains close ties to Gaza-based Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya.
German law enforcement arrested another key operative, Barah al-Khatib, in November. Intelligence indicates al-Khatib had recently traveled from Turkey, which investigators identify as a preferred staging ground for Hamas operatives conducting European operations.
Leadership Connections to Qatar
The investigation revealed evidence suggesting direct involvement by Hamas leadership in orchestrating the European terror activities. Investigators documented a September meeting in Qatar between Muhammad Na’im and his father Basem, which Israeli officials cite as potential proof that senior Hamas figures provided authorization for terrorist operations in Europe despite the organization’s public denials of such activities.
Expanding European Response
European authorities are broadening their crackdown beyond immediate terror threats to target Hamas’s support infrastructure, including fundraising networks, recruitment activities through religious institutions, and associations that the organization allegedly uses as fronts for operational purposes. Germany has recently taken steps against such entities.
The Mossad emphasized that since the October 7 attacks, Hamas has intensified efforts to establish operational cells throughout Europe, employing tactics similar to Iran and its regional proxies. Israeli intelligence reports it is actively working to prevent dozens of planned attacks worldwide as part of its mandate to protect Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.