In a bold daytime operation on September 1, 2026, Special Forces of Israel’s Shin Bet, working with the Israel Defence Forces, captured Muein (also reported as Moein or Muin) al-Arabid, head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus, near his home in western Gaza City. The high-value target was taken alive and transferred to Israel for questioning. No Israeli personnel were wounded.
Keywords: Muein al-Arabid capture, IDF Shin Bet Gaza raid, Hamas internal security chief, October 7 hostages, Israel Gaza special forces operation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the bold operation, describing Al-Arabid as one of Hamas’s most senior figures. According to Israeli officials, he had been responsible for concealing and moving hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 massacre, protecting senior Hamas leaders, rebuilding the group’s capabilities, and recently working to restore Hamas governance in northern Gaza while advancing attacks against Israeli forces. The IDF and Shin Bet stated that the raid aimed to remove threats, undermine Hamas control, and disrupt planned terrorist activity. Israeli aircraft struck nearby targets to protect the extraction force.
Palestinian sources and the Hamas-run Gaza Interior Ministry confirmed the capture, noting that al-Arabid was wounded and that his wife was killed in the fighting; some of his children were also injured. Initial reports suggested involvement of an Israeli-backed local militia, but Israeli statements attributed the operation primarily to Shin Bet Special Forces with IDF support.
The capture represents a significant intelligence success. As the official overseeing Hamas’s internal security and counter-intelligence network, often likened by Israeli sources to the group’s equivalent of a domestic security service, al-Arabid is expected to yield detailed knowledge of Hamas structures, hostage movements, leadership protection, and operational rebuilding efforts.
Israel has repeatedly stated that its actions remain defencive, focused on those who planned and executed the October 7 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, and on preventing further threats from groups that continue to target Israeli civilians. Officials emphasize that operation of this kind form part of a sustained effort to dismantle terrorist infrastructure rather than unprovoked aggression.
The successful extraction of a senior operative from a densely populated urban area underscores the precision and resolve of Israel’s security forces in pursuing those responsible for past atrocities and ongoing threats.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.