The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) will hunt down every single Hamas member involved in the October 7 massacre, no matter where they are or where they are hiding, Shin Bet Director David Zini said Thursday at a ceremony honoring Shin Bet agents for their exceptional service.
“To the planners of the slaughter, to its implementers, and to all who took part in the disgrace of the honor and blood of the State of Israel, and to all who seek our destruction, we have one uncompromising message: There is no place in the world too far, there is no forgiveness, and there is no expiration date,” he said.
“We pursued, we are pursuing, and we will continue to pursue you down to the last co-conspirator,” Zini said. “The long and determined arm of the Israeli defense establishment will reach all who harm us – deep in a tunnel, in concealed command centers, and in every corner of the globe.”
“This is our sacred duty to the nation and for humanity,” he said.
The Israeli government promised the Trump administration after a failed attack on Hamas officials in Qatar last September that it would not attack them on Qatari soil again. But if those Hamas officials were to leave Qatar, Zini’s threat might still apply.
Zini told the Shin Bet operatives: “You are the proof that even from a great fall, we can rise up, improve, [and] flourish. This agency rises, learns, and wins every day.”
Netanyahu, Herzog attend Shin Bet award ceremony
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog attended the ceremony.
The Shin Bet had succeeded in stopping about 1,000 terrorist attacks in the West Bank, and it had hunted down the vast majority of the Hamas terrorists responsible for the October 7 massacre, Netanyahu said.
Zini said the award winners were operatives from various missions, including agents who fought Iran and Hamas, those who stymied terrorists in the West Bank, and some who protected Israel’s cybersecurity.
There were 18 awardees, including three women.
For example, one of the awardees was a female agent given the alias “A.” She is a desk analyst in the Counter-Espionage Division and is a mother of four.
“‘A’ operates against highly complex targets and has achieved security success by configuring a sophisticated intelligence picture,” the Shin Bet said in a press release. “She demonstrated exceptional capabilities in translating her analyses into operational outcomes.”
Another one the awardees was a male agent, also listed as “A,” who is a handler and recruiter of agents in the Shin Bet’s Southern Division. He is a father of five.
“‘A’ significantly expanded the roster of agents in his area of responsibility and recruited high-value, significant sources who have provided a wealth of invaluable intelligence in recent years,” the Shin Bet said.
Shin Bet must work on non-partisan basis to help preserve election integrity, Herzog warns
Herzog said the Shin Bet must work closely, effectively, and on a nonpartisan basis to preserve electoral integrity as Election Day on October 27 nears.
In the past, Zini made statements that led to questions about whether he would attempt to use his position to curry favor with Netanyahu.
There has been no evidence of such an act to date, although he ignored a Knesset advisory committee that told him to grant Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot a special security detail.
Previously, Zini had said if there was not a threat to Eisenkot’s life, there was no obligation to grant him such security protection because he neither holds office nor is the current opposition leader.
The Knesset’s Shin Bet oversight committee, led by government officials, endorsed Zini’s position over those of its own advisory committee.