A Hamas terrorist from east Jerusalem recently threatened to kill MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionist Party) in a private Facebook message after the lawmaker toured Arab schools in the area.
Tarzan Hammad, a 25-year-old Hamas operative from east Jerusalem, sent Sukkot photos of a firearm and ammunition. The message read: “I always have a weapon, I travel without security checks, I will kill you when I see you.”
Following the threat, the Knesset and Israel Police raised Sukkot’s threat level to level 4. Authorities also increased his security and tightened the protective measures surrounding him after conducting a security assessment.
Sukkot received additional threats after touring Arab schools while serving as chairman of the Knesset Education Committee. According to Sukkot, the threatening messages included a photo of a handgun.
“They sent me messages with a picture of a handgun and wrote that they were on their way to kill me. If anyone thinks I will stop overseeing what is happening in the sector because of threats, they are seriously mistaken,” Sukkot said.
The threats were referred to security officials and police, who subsequently decided to raise Sukkot’s threat level and increase his security detail.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the source of the messages and identify those responsible.
Hamas operatives’ messages mark a major escalation in severity of threats
People close to Sukkot said the messages marked a significant escalation in the severity of the threats and that security officials were taking them seriously.
“The violence and crime, together with the stockpiles of illegal weapons in the Arab sector, are an existential threat to the entire State of Israel. The threats only encourage me to continue doing my job and fighting the phenomenon,” Sukkot added.
