The arrest of a senior Hamas official on September 2 provided Israel with detailed intelligence that assisted in the location and assassination of top Hamas operatives, funds, and weapons, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
On September 2, the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Service), and various Palestinian militias captured Mu’in al-Arabid, one of Hamas’s top internal security officials.
The IDF and Shin Bet on Tuesday confirmed the overnight assassination of Hamas Northern Gaza Brigade Chief Izz al-Din al-Bik in Gaza City. Al-Bik had served in his current role since Ahmed Randur was assassinated by Israel on November 10, 2023.
This is the third assassination of a Hamas brigade chief since September 11; three of the five brigade commanders were killed during that period.
According to the joint statement, al-Bik was responsible for managing the activities of the brigade’s operatives, including issuing orders to carry out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.
He also managed efforts to reconstitute the brigade’s capabilities, which had been heavily damaged over the last three years of war, said the IDF.
Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed the assassination in a statement shortly before the official IDF and Shin Bet statement.
Prior, the IDF killed two of five Hamas brigade commanders
In mid-September, the IDF and Shin Bet killed Muhammad Yazouri in the Khan Yunis area. Yazouri served as commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade.
He was appointed to the position after holding a series of roles in the brigade, including deputy commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, and he replaced Rafa Salame.
Further, in mid-September, the IDF and Shin Bet also announced that they had struck Hamas Rafah Brigade commander Nayal Abu Obeid.
Abu Obeid replaced his predecessor, Mohammad Shabanah, who was killed by the IDF in May 2025.
Abu Obeid was a key figure among Hamas leaders, according to a statement from the IDF, previously the deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and commander of the Tel al-Sultan and Yibna Battalions.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this story.