"A message in blood to Netanyahu": Hamas targets in Europe revealed - and the conversations between the organization's senior official and his son
An investigation by Der Spiegel and Der Standard reveals new details about a Hamas network that planned attacks in Europe around the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre. Among the targets: the Jewish Museum and the Austrian-Israeli Society in Vienna. The investigation uncovers conversations between senior Hamas official Bassem Naim and his son Muhammad, who was the central figure in the plot, and footage of the masked son promising a "message in blood" to Netanyahu.
A joint investigation by Germany's Der Spiegel and Austria's Der Standard reveals new details about a Hamas network that planned to carry out attacks in Europe around the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre last year. Among the potential targets identified in the investigation: the Jewish Museum and the Austrian-Israeli Society in Vienna. The investigation reveals for the first time the connection between senior Hamas official Bassem Naim, a member of the political bureau and former Hamas health minister in the Strip, and his son Muhammad, the central figure in the plot. The two discussed the attack plans and also corresponded on Telegram about other topics, including ceasefire negotiations with Israel. Muhammad Naim was recorded in a video in August 2025, masked, promising a "message in blood" to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The weapons, five pistols, were hidden in a warehouse in Vienna's seventh district, just a few kilometers from Jewish and Israeli institutions. In total, the network obtained 13 pistols, an assault rifle, and 718 rounds of ammunition. Seven defendants are awaiting trial in Berlin. The investigation points to a shift in the nature of Hamas activity in Europe: from a fundraising zone to an arena where the organization attempts to hold weapons and operate cells.