Intelligence from arrest of Hamas official in Gaza City led to killing of 3 brigade heads, dozens of lower-level commanders

The arrest of a senior Hamas official in Gaza City at the beginning of September provided the IDF with intelligence that led to the recent elimination of three brigade commanders, along with dozens of battalion- or lower-level commanders, and terrorists involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. 

The Shin Bet arrested Muin al-Arabid, a senior figure in Hamas’ internal security and counterintelligence apparatus in Gaza City, in a surprise daytime raid in Gaza City at the beginning of September. The Shin Bet had tracked al-Arabid for some time, mapping his daily routines and identifying locations he frequented. 

His position as the head of Hamas’ Internal Security service made him a prime target for either arrest or assassination. 

The arrest of al-Arabid also provided information regarding weapons storage sites and operatives engaged in financial transactions for the terror organization. 

The value of the information provided by al-Arabid appears evident in the large number of targeted eliminations of commanders and officers in Hamas’ military wing, almost one elimination every day since about a week after the arrest. 

On Tuesday, the IDF announced the most recent high-level elimination of Hamas’ Northern Brigade commander, Izz al-Din al-Bik, in Gaza City. According to the IDF, al-Din al-Bik was responsible for managing and directing the brigade’s activities and directing terror plots against IDF units and Israeli civilians. 

The elimination of al-Bik was the third such assassination of a brigade-level commander since Sept. 11, 2026. 

In announcing al-Bik’s elimination, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike is part of a “series of targeted strikes constantly being carried out against terror leaders in Gaza.” 

Katz also warned, “The heads of Hamas abroad are also in the crosshairs.” 

The defense minister said that Israel would continue to “repay anyone who bears responsibility for the murders and atrocities committed on Oct. 7,” indicating that the military would not refrain from its attempt to eliminate all terrorists involved in the Hamas massacres, despite Israel agreeing to the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire. 

At the same time, the IDF and Israel’s security agencies are preparing for the possibility that Hamas might try to carry out an attack in the pre-election period, public broadcaster Kan News reported. 

That assessment comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday evening that “there are signs that ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us.” 

According to the Kan report, Hamas could try to test the IDF’s security along the Yellow Line in Gaza, kidnap soldiers, or make some other attempt to undermine Israelis’ sense of security ahead of the elections. 

The IDF said that its freedom of operation would not be restricted ahead of the elections, according to Kan, with a defense official telling the outlet, “State security is not a backdrop for campaigns.”