The announcement by security bodies affiliated with Hamas in Gaza that they had executed a Palestinian convicted of "collaborating" in the killing of the late Izz al-Din Haddad, former commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the movement's armed wing, drew attention inside and outside Gaza. The announcement came nearly two months after Israel killed Haddad and his successor, Mohammed Ouda, in separate strikes less than two weeks apart.
Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat some details of how suspects in the killings of Haddad and Ouda were identified, revealing that the movement's security services are preparing to announce another execution involving a second individual accused of providing information that helped facilitate Ouda's assassination.
Although a ceasefire was supposed to have taken effect in Gaza last October, Israel has continued to kill members and senior figures of Hamas and the Qassam Brigades.
A statement issued Wednesday evening by the so-called "Resistance Security" in Gaza said it had executed an individual identified only by the initials "M.M." after completing what it described as all "revolutionary procedures." The statement said the man had been convicted of collaborating with Israeli intelligence and providing information that led to several attacks resulting in the deaths of Palestinians, including leaders of armed factions, most recently Haddad.
Two Hamas sources, one with field knowledge and the other from the movement's security apparatus, separately described to Asharq Al-Awsat how the suspect was apprehended.
Went to the Hospital to Confirm Victims' Identities
The field source said the suspect was arrested immediately after Haddad's assassination on May 15, 2026, at the scene of the attack after being observed communicating with an Israeli intelligence officer.
The security source, however, said the suspect was arrested the following day after he was spotted at the attack site. The source said he was also seen at Al-Shifa Hospital on the day of the strike to verify the identities of those killed and wounded. He allegedly returned to the hospital the next day, searching the buildings for resistance members who had been injured in earlier airstrikes.
Both sources claimed the suspect confessed immediately after his arrest to collaborating with Israeli intelligence, which they said had recruited him to monitor several locations linked to the Haddad family. They said he admitted moving between those locations and being present at the scene after Haddad, his wife and his daughter were targeted while traveling in a vehicle on Al-Wahda Street east of Gaza City.
According to the security source, the 47-year-old suspect also confessed to providing information that contributed to the killings of around 30 fighters from the Qassam Brigades and other armed factions, most of them from the Sheikh Radwan Battalion. The source added that surveillance equipment and devices used to track entry and exit routes were found in his possession when he was arrested at Al-Shifa Hospital.
Intensive Surveillance of Mohammed Ouda's Wife
The two sources said Hamas is continuing efforts to track down and arrest individuals it describes as collaborators.
The security source said another suspect was arrested two days after the killing of Mohammed Ouda, who had assumed command of the Qassam Brigades' General Staff following Haddad's death before being killed by Israel on May 26.
The source said the detainee in the Ouda case was not a Hamas member and would also be executed after all "revolutionary procedures" had been completed.
According to sources in Gaza, the term "revolutionary procedures" refers to informing the suspect's family, the families of those allegedly killed as a result of information he provided, and the armed factions of the investigation's findings.
The Hamas security source said the suspect in Ouda's assassination admitted collaborating with Israeli intelligence and contributing to the killing of several prominent field operatives, in addition to his alleged role in Ouda's assassination. According to the source, the suspect's Shin Bet handler provided him with information related to the Haddad family's identity and whereabouts and specifically instructed him to monitor Ouda's wife.
The field source added that on the day Ouda was killed, his wife was under close surveillance by the alleged collaborator as she prepared the evening meal for the Day of Arafah fast. She reportedly left the family's newly rented apartment to prepare the meal while Ouda was on his way to join them. He later arrived and ate with his family before the apartment was struck, after the detained suspect allegedly confirmed to his handlers that they were all inside.
The source said Hamas security personnel had become suspicious of several individuals in the vicinity of the apartment targeted in the strike on Ouda and monitored the suspect for some time before arresting him.
According to the two sources, modern communication devices were seized from both suspects accused in the assassinations of Haddad and Ouda.
During the war and after the ceasefire, Hamas security services have executed several people convicted of collaborating with Israel in connection with a series of assassinations targeting senior leaders, including the late Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Deif. According to the sources, some of those executed were Hamas members, although most were not affiliated with the movement.
