Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Hamas commander captured earlier today in Gaza City was chief of the terror group’s internal security apparatus.
He was named earlier as Muein al-Arabid.
“I commend the Shin Bet and the IDF, who in a bold operation arrested today the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus near his home in Gaza,” Netanyahu says in a statement.
Netanyahu says the captured officer is “one of Hamas’s most senior leaders, was responsible for hiding and moving our hostages, hiding senior Hamas officials, force build-up, and attempting to restore the capabilities of the terror organization.”
“Recently, he was engaged in efforts to restore Hamas’s governance in Gaza, in deception regarding the issue of demilitarizing the Strip, and assisted in carrying out terror attacks against our forces and our civilians,” he says.
Netanyahu adds that Israel “will continue to pursue all Hamas leaders and everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre.”
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
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