Israel grants ‘immunity’ to Hamas political officials, targeted strikes continue in Gaza

The Israeli defense establishment is implementing an unprecedented policy in the Gaza Strip, granting immunity to mayors and senior municipal officials within Hamas’s political apparatus, Walla News reported.

The decision to spare the lives of Hamas political leaders comes from concern that eliminating them would cause a power vacuum which could then lead to civil disorder in the Strip.

With Hamas disarmament appearing stalled and Israel opposing the Palestinian Authority's (PA) entry into the enclave over its alleged support for terrorism and corruption, the defense establishment reportedly sees the continued presence of Hamas political leadership as preferable to civil chaos and potential internal wars between different armed clans and groups.

As part of the Gaza Peace Plan laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump, a group of Palestinian technocrats, called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), is set to take over political administration temporarily. However, given the failure of Hamas to hand over its weapons, the NCAG has not yet entered Gaza.

In addition, the International Stabilization Force (ISF), intended to function as a police force, has not entered the Strip for the same reason.

A report in Army Radio on Monday morning stated that U.S. officials have been pressuring Israel to move forward with the Gaza Peace Plan, despite Hamas’ failure to disarm.

Washington is reportedly pushing for pardons for some Hamas operatives, the development of procedures for handing over weapons within Gaza, and continued development of the “Emirati neighborhood,” an area in Rafah where the United Arab Emirates has begun limited reconstruction efforts inside Israel-controlled territory.

The Israeli government, meanwhile, has shared intelligence with the United States, demonstrating that Hamas is working to rehabilitate its forces and even resume hostilities. The terror group has said it will not hand over its weapons to any party except a Palestinian government.

At the same time, the IDF and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency continue the targeted killings of Hamas terrorists at a high operational tempo, conducting two to three such strikes daily. The targets include those who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, those actively preparing attacks against Israel, or those involved in rehabilitating Hamas’ fighting capabilities.

🔴ELIMINATED: 4 Hamas terrorists involved in advancing attacks. Among them were the Head of a department within Hamas’ recruitment apparatus, who was directly involved in strengthening and rebuilding Hamas' military wing in Gaza & a Nukhba terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 Massacre. Throughout the war, and particularly recently, the terrorists advanced attacks against Israeli civilians & IDF troops and operated to restore Hamas’ capabilities, in systematic violation of the ceasefire. The terrorists were eliminated in separate strikes on Saturday and on October 22nd, in order to remove the threat they posed.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 2, 2026

The high pace of operations is made possible by a significant improvement in Israel’s intelligence-gathering capabilities in Gaza. According to the Walla report, this stems from a combination of new human intelligence sources and increased surveillance and signals intelligence.

The level of targeted killings has significantly degraded Hamas’ military wing, causing the terror group to return to its roots of small insurgent cells, rather than an organized command structure.

However, Hamas’ political arm still maintains control over the Gaza population through arrests and interrogation of dissidents, intimidation tactics, and the levying of coercive taxes.

The Israeli government believes that despite these oppressive practices, targeting the civil arm of Hamas could undermine regional stability, invite international criticism and potentially lead to punitive measures.