Israels Shin Bet internal security agency said Sunday it dismantled a big Hamas cell it alleged was preparing "serious attacks" against Israeli targets. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to praise the agency, saying the network’s arrest “saved the lives of a large number of residents.” The cells members were mainly from Nablus city in the north of the occupied West Bank and it was active for about six months until being dismantled in April, Shin Bet said in a statement. It said the cell’s members - more than 20 people – were arrested and explosives seized. The Shin Bet said it made arrests and neutralized explosives that were to be used against Israeli targets. Israeli security forces also discovered bomb-making equipment and "serious attacks" were averted, the statement added. The Shin Bet accused Motassem Mohammed Salem, 35, and 33-year-old Firas Kamel al-Zubaidi, both from Nablus, of leading the cell. The agency has previously made several announcements on the arrest of cells plotting assassinations and attacks. According to official data, more than 100 Palestinians were arrested last year in the West Bank and Jerusalem on charges of plotting attacks.