Hamas Detains Gazans After Israeli Raid to Abduct Security Chief

Hamas security forces in Gaza have detained dozens of residents in the area where Israeli special forces abducted a senior Hamas security official, Muin al-Arabid, on Tuesday. Sources told i24news that many of those arrested had received assistance from an international organization whose identity was apparently impersonated by the Israeli unit. Five of the detainees were found with Israeli SIM cards and are believed to be linked to Israeli intelligence.

Among the detainees are three individuals who were aware of al-Arabid's mission and monitored his movements and residence, even photographing his car parked away from his home to prevent tracking. These individuals reportedly knew about his surveillance but not about the plan to abduct him. The detainees are undergoing harsh interrogations by Hamas's internal security agency for intelligence information.

Sources compared the current detentions to a Hamas operation in 2018 that led to the arrest of dozens of alleged Shin Bet collaborators after an Israeli special force infiltration into Khan Younis. The Israeli unit reportedly made repeated, clandestine security visits to the abduction site before carrying out the operation on the day al-Arabid was preparing for his son's wedding, during which the son was injured in a clash with the same Israeli force.

Hamas has implemented significant security measures, relocating some leaders due to their contact with al-Arabid. He holds a crucial position as head of internal security and leads a joint security committee involving the General Security and Intelligence services of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, facilitating the exchange of sensitive intelligence within Hamas.

Al-Arabid is considered an intelligence asset for Hamas, and Israel is expected to benefit greatly from his interrogation. He possesses vital information not only about the new leadership structure in Gaza but also about intelligence-sharing mechanisms and communication channels between leaders and secret locations.