Unidentified gunmen abducted a field commander in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, on Sunday evening in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood southwest of Gaza City, field sources in Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The sources said the abducted man commands a unit in the Qassam Brigades. They added that large numbers of Qassam fighters deployed across Gaza City on Sunday evening local time and began pursuing “two vehicles believed to be carrying the kidnappers”.
Heavy gunfire was heard in several parts of Gaza City, apparently linked to the pursuit of the abductors.
According to one Hamas source, “it is likely that an Israeli special force, or members of an armed gang collaborating with Israel, was behind the abduction”.
The incident coincided with an attempted assassination on Sunday of an officer in the Hamas government’s security apparatus, who is also a prominent Qassam activist, in the al-Zawayda area of central Gaza. He was lightly wounded, while one of the attackers was arrested after being chased down.
In recent weeks, the Gaza Strip has seen repeated infiltration attempts by members of armed gangs backed by Israel, at times leading to clashes and reciprocal pursuit operations with Qassam Brigades fighters. Drones have also appeared in attacks targeting Qassam members, killing and wounding some of them, as happened earlier this month in Khan Younis.
About two weeks ago, Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the interrogation of a man accused of working with armed gangs active in areas of the Gaza Strip under Israeli control showed growing support from Israeli forces for those groups.
According to the sources, the interrogation showed that Israel is training members of the gangs to use drones carrying explosives and weapons.
Since the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in October last year, a notional boundary known as the “Yellow Line” has separated areas controlled by the movement to the west from areas to the east where the Israeli army and allied Palestinian armed gangs are deployed.
The Hamas sources, citing the interrogation, said the drone training was not limited to offensive use. They noted that members of those armed gangs, particularly in Khan Younis and northern Gaza, had recently managed to use drones to carry weapons and drop them in remote areas for operatives recruited by sleeper cells deep inside Hamas-controlled territory.
