The seizure of the internal security chief of Hamas provided IDF intel that led to elimination of three senior commanders.

By Hezy Laing

A senior Hamas security official captured in Gaza last month provided intelligence that helped Israel locate and eliminate three Hamas brigade commanders in a remarkably concentrated series of operations.

The intelligence breakthrough followed the September 2 capture of Mu’in al-Arabid, one of Hamas’s senior internal-security officials, whose interrogation produced detailed information on the organization’s operatives, weapons and financial networks.

The intelligence began yielding results within days.

Since September 11, three of Hamas’s five brigade commanders in Gaza have been killed, dealing another major blow to an organization that has spent nearly three years attempting to rebuild its military hierarchy after the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre.

The latest was Izz al-Din al-Bik, commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade, who was killed in Gaza City on September 29.

Al-Bik had held the brigade command since the November 10, 2023, elimination of Ahmed Ghandour, one of Hamas’s most senior military commanders.

Al-Bik was responsible for directing brigade operatives and issuing orders for attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

He also supervised efforts to restore the brigade’s military capabilities after three years of intensive Israeli operations.

The other two commanders were Muhammad Yazouri, commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, and Nayal Abu Obeid, commander of the Rafah Brigade.

Yazouri had previously served as deputy commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade and succeeded Rafa Salame, while Abu Obeid had served as deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and commanded the Tel al-Sultan and Yibna battalions.

His predecessor, Mohammad Shabanah, was killed in May 2025.

The sequence illustrates the importance of human intelligence in Israel’s campaign against Hamas.

Al-Arabid’s capture provided information not only on senior operatives but also on funds and weapons, allowing intelligence agencies to connect previously separate pieces of information and identify targets.

The deaths of three brigade commanders in less than three weeks have further disrupted Hamas’s attempts to reconstruct its command structure while fighting to preserve its remaining military capabilities.