Now cleared for publication: Shin Bet carried out arrest in the heart of Gaza

Special forces of the Shin Bet carried out the arrest of Muin al-Arabid on Wednesday, who was defined as the 'head of the Shin Bet' for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, contradicting reports that armed militias supported by Israel were responsible. This was a special and unusual operation by the Shin Bet in the vicinity of Gaza City, while the IDF provided cover through airstrikes.

The special operation lasted several hours under the Southern Command, resulting in al-Arabid being captured and taken to Israel while wounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as a 'daring operation' near al-Arabid's home.

'He is one of the most senior Hamas leaders, and was responsible for hiding and transporting our hostages, for hiding senior Hamas officials, and for building the force and attempting to rehabilitate the capabilities of the terrorist organization,' Netanyahu said. 'Recently, he was involved in attempts to restore Hamas's governance in Gaza, in deception regarding the issue of the demilitarization of the Strip, and assisted in carrying out terrorist acts against our forces and citizens.'

Hamas's internal security mechanism deals with counter-espionage and identifying Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. Palestinians claimed that the Israeli force was exposed during the operation, leading to an exchange of fire; however, Israel did not confirm this. A Palestinian source claimed on the Qatari network Al Jazeera that al-Arabid is a lower-ranking officer and that the IDF 'bombed his house in an attack in which his wife was killed.'

The IDF and Shin Bet stated:

'The IDF and Shin Bet, under the command and leadership of the Shin Bet and the Southern Command, set out earlier today for a targeted operation to remove threats from the Hamas terrorist organization in the northern Gaza Strip area. As part of the operation, special forces of the Shin Bet raided a building in the Gaza City area, and arrested the head of internal security of the Hamas terrorist organization in the entire Gaza Strip.'

According to the statement, the Air Force carried out targeted strikes on military targets to remove threats to the forces; there were no casualties among Israeli personnel. The arrested terrorist had been working to consolidate Hamas control in the northern Strip and to promote terrorist plots against IDF forces operating in the 'Yellow Line' area. He has been transferred for further interrogation. The army and Shin Bet emphasized that the operation was intended to remove threats and damage Hamas's control in the area.