From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Raid to capture to Hamas commander carried out by Shin Bet special forces
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Today’s operation to capture the chief of Hamas’s internal security apparatus in Gaza City was carried out by special forces of the Shin Bet, the security agency and the IDF, announced in a joint statement.
Arabic-language media reports claimed that an Israeli-backed anti-Hamas militia carried out the raid.
The IDF and Shin Bet say the special forces raided a building in Gaza City and captured the Hamas security chief, who was named earlier as Muein al-Arabid.
During the raid, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on several “military targets in the area to remove threats to the forces.” No Israeli forces were injured in the operation, the military and Shin Bet say.
The security chief had recently been working to “consolidate the Hamas terror organization’s control over the northern Gaza Strip” and to advance attacks on IDF troops deployed in the Strip, according to the military.
The IDF adds that the operation was intended to “remove threats and undermine Hamas’s control in the area and its plans to advance terrorist activities against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”
The Times of Israel Community.