Hamas in shock after IDF force that kidnapped al-Arabid impersonated Al-Qassam members, i24NEWS learns

Palestinian sources revealed to i24NEWS that the Hamas government's Internal Security apparatus and the Security Intelligence unit of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, are in a state of shock and astonishment. This comes as they uncover more information about the Israeli force that kidnapped the head of the Internal Security apparatus in the Gaza Strip, Muein al-Arabid, at the beginning of the month.

Sources told i24news that investigations revealed that the IDF unit impersonated members of the Tuffah and Daraj Battalions of the Al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas security personnel stopped the vehicle they were in, and when questioned, they identified themselves as members on a special mission belonging to the battalion.

The sources indicated that security personnel assigned to protect certain vital areas provided water and ensured safety and security for members of the undercover special force while they were present in some areas a day before carrying out their mission. Their leader, along with the car driver, spoke Arabic fluently.

The sources indicated that Hamas was even more astonished when it interrogated three Palestinians, including a woman, and it turned out that they were collaborators who had supervised a relief project under the name of an international organization.

It became clear that their goal was to facilitate the mission of the operation, and it was found that they had no information about the operation except that they had been asked to photograph specific targets at the location of the operation that targeted al-Arabid.

Sources mentioned that members of Al-Qassam were the ones who documented, via video footage, part of which was published by media outlets including Al Jazeera, the kidnapping operation, and they believed that the attack was being carried out by the internal security apparatus against members of armed militias, which prompted them not to intervene.

The sources indicated that there was a clear security breach during the process of verifying their identities. Therefore, an investigation was conducted with the security personnel who checked the force members during their stops in sensitive areas.