the three murdered teens
the three murdered teensHadas Parush/Flash90

It was cleared for publication this afternoon (Wednesday) that during the IDF's operation this week at the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Kwasama, a senior Hamas official responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014, was arrested.

Kwasama was deported to the Gaza Strip as part of the Shalit deal in 2011, and from there he was involved in directing terrorist activities of Hamas in Judea and Samaria, including a number of shooting attacks carried out in recent years.

He was involved in the planning and financing of the cell that abducted and murdered in June 2014, sparking Operation Protective Edge.

Following his arrest, Kwasama was handed over to the Shin Bet (ISA) for interrogation.

The security establishment stressed that "the Shin Bet and the IDF will continue to act against those who harmed, kidnapped, and murdered Israeli citizens, even as the years pass."