Israeli special forces operating in Libya, Sudan to thwart Hamas smuggling - report

Israeli special forces are reportedly conducting "intensive intelligence activity in the Sinai desert, Sudan, and Libya," out of fear of Hamas smuggling attempts from Gaza, according to the pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar.

Hamas may attempt to smuggle its top leaders, or hostages, perhaps both, out of Gaza, according to the report. This comes as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued to advance in its ground operation in the coastal enclave, as part of its war to defeat the terrorist organization after the October 7 massacre.

Al-Akhbar claimed there’s a fear in Israel that Hamas might transfer the hostages via its network of tunnels to other places in the region, and finally to other countries such as Iran or Lebanon, making their rescue a much bigger challenge.

Israel has also reportedly informed Egypt directly and through the U.S. that it suspected arms smuggling from Egyptian territory into the Gaza Strip, and that the IDF was obliged to act to ensure that no tunnels were used for this purpose.

In addition, the U.S. was working to get Egypt to assist Israel in preventing such arms or human smuggling attempts. However, thus far Cairo has reportedly refused Israeli requests for IDF missions on Egyptian soil or on a buffer zone, according to sources that informed Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.