Palestinian armed factions in Gaza have gone on heightened alert as Israel presses ahead with targeted killings of field commanders and prominent operatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, saying tightened security measures have thwarted several planned assassinations in recent weeks.
The sources said security measures had foiled a series of assassination attempts planned by the Israeli army in recent days and weeks.
The Israeli military has frequently cited security incidents against its forces as justification for carrying out a string of strikes inside the enclave after a ceasefire took effect. Israeli violations have killed more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza since the agreement to halt the war was announced.
Field sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that after the killing of prominent leaders and activists, strict instructions were issued by senior commanders of the armed wings to field operatives to adopt measures similar to those in place during the two-year war.
One source said the directives included “secure movement” from one place to another, meaning movement without carrying mobile phones or other technological devices to avoid detection by Israel's artificial intelligence. He added that members had been advised to remain concealed in specific locations for extended periods, without moving, even for days or weeks.
Failed targeting operations
Another source familiar with internal communications within an armed faction in Gaza said that “thanks to the new precautions in recent days and weeks, new assassination operations have failed.”
He cited instances of Israeli strikes on targets such as tents and other sites that did not host any of the wanted individuals or others, on several occasions.
“The Israeli forces bombed two targets hours after the Rafah incident that took place last Monday, one on the same evening and the other on Tuesday afternoon, indicating an inability to identify new targets as had happened previously,” the source said.
The factional source concluded that “the number of casualties has become much lower during the current round of escalation compared with previous violations.”
Israeli airstrikes on Monday and Tuesday killed prominent field activists in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades in two assassination operations.
The first targeted three activists in the Beit Hanoun Battalion of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who had overseen a series of operations, including the sniper killing of several soldiers, resulting in the deaths of seven, according to an Israeli military statement during battles in the town.
They were also said to have participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. A commander of the elite unit of the Al-Quds Brigades in central Gaza was also killed.
Night checkpoints to track collaborators
Asked whether other measures had been adopted to secure their members, another field source said some steps included deploying checkpoints by security forces affiliated with the Hamas-run government, as well as field operatives from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades, particularly at night, across all areas of Gaza.
The source said the night checkpoints had reduced the movement of collaborators with Israel, as well as individuals working with armed gangs that provide intelligence on the whereabouts of certain activists after tracking and monitoring them, which he said had again weakened Israeli intelligence.
“There is other discreet activity during daylight hours carried out by the factions to pursue any suspicious movements and monitor individuals suspected of cooperating with Israeli intelligence,” the source added.
He said several suspects had been detained and interrogated, and information had been extracted about personalities being tracked. The data was then passed on to the intended targets so they could change their locations, move to safe places, and abandon the technological devices they had been using.
These security measures coincided with an announcement by the “Al-Hares” platform, affiliated with the security apparatus of armed factions in Gaza, calling on residents to “assist security in strengthening the internal front by reporting any suspicious activity or movement in their vicinity.”
It added that “any unusual behavior, attempts to gather information, or movements suspected of links to collaborator gangs constitute a key element in thwarting hostile plans and supporting the resilience of our internal front.”
