The Israel army, with the help of the Shin Bet, arrested a number of Hamas activists from the Palestinian Birzeit University who were allegedly recruited to gather intelligence information and conduct attacks that the military labeled as "sabotage," "The IDF, in cooperation with security forces, arrested a number of activists who were recruited for acts of sabotage. ... It was found that [their activities] were focused on gathering intelligence data on targets [that they were supposed to attack] and conduct sabotage operations, including producing explosive materials," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement Wednesday. He added that the recent arrest proved "how Hamas is using Birzeit University for subversive purposes." Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been locked in a protracted on-and-off conflict with Israel, which continues to refuse to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity. In the past few months, the Shin Bet, Israels internal security service, has repeatedly declared foiling attacks and arresting cells, as well as Iranian and Hamas spy networks. Last month, the Shin Bet revealed that it had foiled more than 450 “major operations” over the past year in the West Bank. Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman told reporters that the agency maintains close cooperation with other Israeli apparatuses and counterparts worldwide.