Shin Bet operated undercover as aid distributors in the Gaza Strip — Jerusalem Post
In the Gaza Strip, employees of Israel's Shin Bet security service operated undercover as workers distributing food and drinks, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing KAN News. According to the channel, this took place ahead of an operation to capture Hamas representative Mouin al-Arabid.
Undercover work
According to KAN News, Israeli operatives set up several small humanitarian projects and sold goods to Gaza residents, who later resold them in local markets. After establishing contacts with shop owners, the operatives allegedly involved them in monitoring the movements of various people, including al-Arabid.
KAN News sources claimed that Gaza residents understood whom they had been helping only after the Hamas official was captured. A day before the operation, Shin Bet employees allegedly posed as market customers and hid weapons in market stalls. After the operation began, they retrieved the weapons and left the area.
According to KAN News, the operatives were physically present in the market area for only one or two days, while they obtained the bulk of the intelligence through contacts with local residents. When those who had helped were questioned, they said they knew nothing about the operation's plan.
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Capture of a Hamas representative
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet on Tuesday evening confirmed the capture of Hamas's head of internal security in the Gaza Strip. The official statement did not directly mention the role of groups in Gaza, but referred to Shin Bet special forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized al-Arabid's importance to Hamas. Netanyahu said he played an important role in concealing more than 250 Israeli hostages after October 7, 2023.
At the same time, a Palestinian source in Gaza told the Jerusalem Post that the detainee was responsible for Hamas internal security only in the Gaza City area and therefore may have been a mid-level official. The same source said that members of a group opposed to Hamas could have taken part in the operation, while Hamas's internal security forces, according to the source, are pursuing Israel-backed formations.
