Gaza Operation

Hamas Probes Capture of Senior Official

Terror group establishes urgent investigation committee following daring IDF operation that extracted internal security chief from Gaza City

Gila Isaacson

SEP 3, 2026 10:21

2 min read

Hamas has established an urgent internal investigation committee following a bold Israeli operation deep inside the Gaza Strip that resulted in the capture of a senior security official, according to a report published this morning in the Saudi newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awsat. The terror organization is reeling from the successful extraction of Moeen al-Arabeed, who headed Hamas's internal security mechanism, and his transfer to Israel for interrogation.

Sources within the organization told the newspaper that the raid on al-Arabeed's residence involved heavy gunfire exchanges. During the operation, al-Arabeed's wife was killed and two of his sons were wounded, according to the report.

The operation, which was revealed in recent days, involved Shin Bet and IDF forces raiding a compound in the al-Katiba neighborhood in western Gaza City. Al-Arabeed, who led Hamas's internal security apparatus, the body responsible for counterintelligence, preventing espionage, and protecting senior figures (the successor mechanism to the organization known as "al-Majd"), was captured while wounded and quickly transferred into Israeli territory.

Israeli Air Force aircraft conducted extensive covering strikes in the area to enable the safe extraction of the forces. Israeli security officials view al-Arabeed as a first-tier intelligence asset holding highly sensitive information. Following his capture, and amid concerns of a Hamas revenge attack in response to the embarrassing security breach, Israel has raised alert levels and increased readiness along the Gaza border.