In a surprising turn of events, a 26-year-old Bedouin Israeli man who crossed into Gaza to join the militant group Hamas in 2016 has now been indicted after attempting to return to Israel.
Juma Ibrahim Abu Ghanima, a resident of Hashem Zana in northern Negev, was charged by Israeli authorities for providing classified information to Hamas and undergoing military training with the group’s elite forces. The indictment sheds light on the rare case of an Israeli citizen defecting to the Islamist organization, sworn enemy of the Jewish state.
According to the indictment filed by the Justice Ministry last week, Abu Ghanima secretly crossed over into Hamas-controlled Gaza in July 2016 and approached Hamas officials, asking to join their military wing. After being interrogated extensively about his motives, Abu Ghanima revealed classified locations of several IDF bases and posts in southern Israel to gain their trust.
Satisfied by the sensitive intel provided, Hamas allowed Abu Ghanima to undergo a 3-month probation period, during which he stayed in safe houses of Hamas members. He was then enrolled for intense military training, including drills and exercises with Hamas’ notorious Nukhba unit which specializes in raids, ambushes and capturing IDF posts along the Gaza border.
Over the next few years, Abu Ghanima actively took part in Hamas operations and met with high-ranking officials. His roles included gathering intelligence along the Gaza fence, planning attacks on Israeli border towns, recruiting Bedouin Israelis for Hamas, and even joining organized crime rings in Israel to raise funds for the militant outfit.
However, in 2021, Hamas imprisoned Abu Ghanima for two years for undisclosed violations of protocol. On December 7, 2022, he was freed along with other prisoners when an IDF airstrike hit the jail compound.
Barely three days after his unexpected release, Abu Ghanima attempted to sneak back into Israel but was apprehended by Israeli forces. After extensive interrogation by the Shin Bet internal security service, the shocking details of his activities within Hamas came to light.
The indictment lists several serious offenses against Abu Ghanima – conspiring with the enemy, providing classified information to Hamas, undergoing terror training, weapons charges and illegally exiting the country.
This highly unusual case has stunned Israeli defense experts, as very few Israeli citizens have managed to cross over and join Hamas since Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005. It has also raised concerns about information leakage and the loyalties of Arab Israeli citizens living in the southern Negev region.
Abu Ghanima’s motives for defecting to Hamas while displaying willingness to betray his country remain unclear. His trial is likely to unravel key insights into the internal working of the reclusive militant outfit and its recruitment tactics.
The incident also signals the constant danger posed by the Israel-Gaza frontier, despite heavy fortifications and surveillance on both sides. With Abu Ghanima’s detailed confessions, Israeli security forces will be compelled to scrutinize border patrols and safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
