(Israel) A senior commander in Hamas's elite commando unit has handed
himself over to Israel, according to sources inside Gaza
Reports of his surrender to Israel have been circulating in
Gaza ever since the commander - a member the elite "Nahba" unit of
Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - went missing several
days ago. The Nahba spearheads Hamas's tunnel warfare capabilities, and is
specifically tasked with capturing IDF soldiers. The missing commander is
reportedly from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, and the son of a prominent judge
on Hamas's Sharia religious court.
Hamas, for its part, maintains he was captured by Israeli
security forces, who have nabbed a number of (generally more junior) Hamas
operatives involved in tunnel digging over the past several months. But other
sources say he told his family he was going for a hike and would return by
evening - only to cross over the border into Israel. Either way, capturing such
a senior Hamas commander would represent a major intelligence coup for Israeli
security services.
If confirmed, the unnamed commander would be the second
senior Al Qassam Brigades terrorist captured by Israel in recent months, after
Mohammed Atounah was captured as he allegedly crossed the border into Israel to
carry out a terrorist attack.
