An Arab Israeli man from Taybeh is facing terror charges after he allegedly plotted to kidnap a soldier in order to force the end of the Gaza war, prosecutors announced on Thursday.

According to an indictment filed in the Lod District Court, Amin Hassan Abdelqader Azzam, 22, had planned for months to kidnap an IDF soldier and use him as a bargaining chip. Azzam, the charging document says, was angry about the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza and began actively working in June to recruit accomplices and equipment to carry out the kidnapping.

The indictment notes that the plot was hatched following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken, mostly civilians but also soldiers, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. Azzam allegedly believed that taking one more soldier hostage would compel Israel to end the war.

The suspect’s preparations included unsuccessful attempts at a mix of logistical, religious and operational preparations, all of which landed him in........

© The Times of Israel