Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has claimed it foiled a Palestinian plot to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as part of an investigation into a cell in the Nablus area that allegedly planned a series of attacks, including the abduction of an Israeli soldier and attacks against Israeli forces.
According to a joint statement by the Shin Bet and Israeli police, two Palestinians from the Nablus area were indicted after an investigation which, according to the Israeli account, found that they had been working since late 2023 to develop armed activity, acquire weapons, recruit additional members and train them in shooting.
The indictment alleges that during 2024, the two began considering an attack targeting Ben-Gvir after watching footage showing him arriving at the scene of an earlier attack. One of them allegedly proposed staging an attack, waiting for the minister to arrive at the scene, and then attempting to assassinate him.
Israeli authorities further claimed that the cell later considered using an explosive-laden drone to carry out the assassination, and that one of the accused sought assistance in purchasing drone components from China as part of developing the plan. The authorities did not state that the alleged plot had reached the stage of actual execution.
The two were also accused of planning shooting attacks and considering the use of vehicles and explosive-laden drones against Israelis and Israeli forces, as well as plotting to abduct an Israeli soldier and recruit and train additional members.
Israeli authorities claimed the investigation led to the seizure of an arsenal that included M16 and M4 rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, a hunting rifle and ammunition.
Israeli reports said the arrests took place before the indictments were filed. A military court repeatedly extended the detention of the accused during the investigation, after which military prosecutors in the occupied West Bank filed indictments and requested that they remain in detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings.
Following the announcement, Ben-Gvir claimed this was the “11th” attempt to assassinate him, adding that it would “not deter or frighten him”.
Ben-Gvir said he would continue his policies concerning prisons and the demolition of what he described as illegal construction in the Negev, while also pledging to continue advancing implementation of the death penalty law passed by the Knesset.
The latest case follows a Shin Bet announcement in September 2025 that it had foiled another alleged plot, which it attributed to a Hamas cell in the West Bank. The agency said at the time that the cell had planned to assassinate Ben-Gvir using explosive-laden drones.
