In a daring, broad daylight raid, operatives from Israel's Shin Bet, which is Israel's counterintelligence and internal security service, and members of the Israel Defense Forces snatched Muein al-Arabid, the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus, from his home in Gaza, leaving a trail of hurt feelings and dead bodyguards but mostly dead bodyguards.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that al-Arabid, who was the man behind the series of public executions of "collaborators" after the end of the war in Gaza, was captured alive and successfully extracted from Gaza to new digs somewhere in Israel.
In a statement, Netanyahu said, "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." He characterized al-Arabid as "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."
There are conflicting reports on whether al-Arabid was wounded in the operation. For its part, Hamas denies anything happened other than its valiant soldiers thwarting an Israeli raid.
Al-Jazeera aired some video taken of the raid.
Some sources identify the man crawling at 0:18 as al-Arabid.
WATCH: Israeli special forces captured Muin al-Arabid — head of Hamas's internal security in Gaza — in a Shin Bet-led raid in western Gaza City today.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 1, 2026
Firefight broke out, IDF used airstrikes to cover extraction.
Al-Arabid wounded, taken to Israel.
Hamas disputes his… pic.twitter.com/prO3X8TYsB
This is the raiding party getting the hell out of Dodge.
IDF Special Forces Capture Hamas Security Chief Alive in Gaza
— ME24 - Middle East 24 (@MiddleEast_24) September 1, 2026
Israeli special forces executed a covert raid deep inside the Gaza Strip, capturing Moin Al-Arabid, the head of Hamas’s General Security Apparatus. Al-Arabid managed Hamas’s secure communications, moved senior leaders… pic.twitter.com/zD7o2MGM2Y
Since the kinetic phase of the war in Gaza wound down, Israel embarked on an operation to kill every Palestinian who participated in the attempted genocide of October 7, 2023; see You Can Run, but You Just Die Tired: Secretive Israeli Unit Has Killed Over 2,500 Oct 7 Hamas Terrorists – RedState.
The description of the unit involved in that mission sounds a lot like what was described today:
According to Israeli media, Israel has killed no fewer than 2,561 of the around 3,000 terrorists who crossed from Gaza into Israel on October 7. About 1,000 of these were killed in traditional combat with the IDF. The remainder got their one-way trip to Hell courtesy of a secretive unit called Nili. Nili was formed shortly after the October 7 attack and given the mission of tracking down every single terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7. The name Nili is an acronym for a biblical phrase (1 Samuel 15:29) that translates as “the Eternal One of Israel will not lie.” It is composed of elements of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security and counterintelligence service, which operates directly under the Prime Minister, and the Israel Defense Forces.
Al-Arabid's portfolio included managing Hamas’s secure communications, moving senior leaders between hideouts, managing safe houses, and deciding who was naughty and who was nice inside Hamas and in areas it ruled. Wringing him dry will go a long way toward preventing Hamas from regenerating.
Another thing one needs to consider is the possibility that this was more than a hit. Hamas seems to be riddled with Israeli informants and, in the past, Israel hasn't been reluctant to drone high-value targets like al-Arabid. In fact, the withdrawal of the strike team from Gaza was covered by airstrikes. What if the raid and kidnapping were a cover for extracting an Israeli asset? If al-Arabid were working for Israel, it would go a long way toward explaining the success of the operation to bring October 7 terrorists to justice, particularly those who had left Hamas, changed their identities, and taken up peaceful occupations.
🚨 SHOCKING: A new honorary citizen of the city of Paris, has just lost his life.
— Khan Fatima (@Khan_Fatimaa1) August 28, 2026
Israel never forgets!
On October 7, the Hamas terrorist Ibrahim Za'anin assassinated two Jewish women, slit their throats and ripped out their intestines while shouting Allah-Hu-Akbar
He… pic.twitter.com/IqU44Fu4NR
SHOCKING: A new honorary citizen of the city of Paris, has just lost his life.
Israel never forgets!
On October 7, the Hamas terrorist Ibrahim Za'anin assassinated two Jewish women, slit their throats and ripped out their intestines while shouting Allah-Hu-Akbar
He changed his identity, became an electrician but the Mossad found him and the IDF eliminated him.
Sorry, I may have watched too many episodes of Fauda.
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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