Senior Hamas operatives in Gaza have been instructed by the terror group’s senior leaders to once again cease using their cell phones for fear of being tracked by Israeli forces, the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat news outlet reports.
The directive comes after Israel warned the terror group that it would return to “intense fighting” in the Strip if Hamas does not release a number of hostages by Saturday — although the exact number Israel expects released is unclear.
Citing Hamas sources, the order for Hamas officials to stop using their cell phones inside the Gaza Strip was already drafted before the terror group said it was postponing the release of the hostages this coming weekend, but was only expected to go out to operatives at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire.
The directive was brought forward, however, amid preparations by both Israel and Hamas for the possibility that the deal might collapse sooner than expected.
According to the report, the primary reason that Hamas doesn’t want its senior operatives using their cell phones is that it fears Israel will track down senior commanders and assassinate them.
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