Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, announced on Monday that it had arrested two young Palestinians from the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilia in northwestern West Bank, alleging that they were recruited to establish a military structure in the occupied West Bank under the direction of a former political prisoner who was released and deported to Turkey.
The detainees were identified in Israeli media as Raef Shalou and Nasser Salim. According to the Israeli account, both men were questioned and allegedly stated that they met the exiled former prisoner, Mahmoud Radwan, at a restaurant in Turkey in December 2025.
Israeli reports claim that Radwan, who was released in January 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange and subsequently deported to Turkey, encouraged the two to join his activities and assist in forming an operational network inside the West Bank.
The Shin Bet further asserted that Radwan expressed his intention to continue what it described as “military activity” from Turkey and maintain contact with individuals in the West Bank. These allegations have not been independently verified.
Hebrew‑language outlets added another layer to the Israeli narrative, reporting that interrogation files include claims that Palestinian deportees operating from Turkey do so with the knowledge or oversight of Turkish security services.
Israeli officials framed this as a significant development in what they describe as the external direction of operations from abroad.
No Turkish authority has publicly commented on these claims, and there is no independent confirmation that Turkish security services were aware of or involved in any such activity. The allegation remains based solely on Israeli intelligence assertions.
The Shin Bet said that indictments were recently filed against Shalou and Salim in Israel’s military courts. As with all cases processed through the military court system, the proceedings take place under the legal framework of the occupation, where conviction rates are historically high and access to independent verification is limited.
Mahmoud Radwan was originally abducted in 2001 and accused of involvement in the killing of an Israeli. He spent many years in Israeli prisons before being released in a prisoner exchange and deported abroad. His current status in Turkey, including any restrictions or monitoring, has not been independently documented.
While the Shin Bet’s announcement fits a broader pattern of Israeli claims regarding activity directed from Turkey, the available information remains one‑sided and based entirely on Israeli intelligence statements.
No independent sources have corroborated the alleged meeting, the nature of Radwan’s activities in Turkey, or the suggestion that Turkish security services were aware of or supervising any such operations.
