Former senior Shin Bet official Yossi Amrusi, a researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security, discussed the joint Shin Bet-IDF operation in the heart of the Gaza Strip in which the man described as the “head of Hamas’ Shin Bet" was captured. According to Amrusi, the decision to bring him in for interrogation rather than eliminate him demonstrates the importance of the information he may possess.
“In recent months, the IDF and Shin Bet have been operating very intensively in the Gaza Strip," Amrusi told Arutz Sheva. He noted that the public is not always aware of these activities because “sometimes Iran takes all the attention, but every day and every night, the IDF and Shin Bet operate inside Palestinian territory in Gaza, arresting people, interrogating terrorists and eliminating terrorists, and this has an impact. After all, they could have eliminated him, but they decided to bring him in for interrogation, apparently because of the information he possesses."
“His position is relatively senior, as the head of Hamas’ internal security," Amrusi said. “His job is to uncover spies and collaborators, arrest and imprison them or kill them. He is involved in almost everything, which is why it was important to bring him in alive, interrogate him, and through that interrogation obtain strategic information about the direction Hamas is heading, their position regarding disarmament, as well as tactical information about the locations of weapons depots, operatives, launch pits, tunnel shafts and more. This man has all of that information."
Asked whether a person in such a position - particularly given his familiarity with Hamas’ brutal interrogation methods - would naturally be someone capable of withstanding pressure, Amrusi replied that sometimes it is precisely the Israeli methods of persuasion and sophistication that prove effective. Drawing on his many years of experience conducting interrogations, Amrusi said that sometimes a low-ranking operative proves stubborn and difficult to break, while more senior figures can turn out to be easier to crack.
He also emphasized that there are now almost no truly senior Hamas officials remaining in Gaza.
“For many years, I worked on the Gaza Strip. I know the people in the Strip very well, and today I have difficulty identifying senior figures there. The overwhelming majority of them have been eliminated by the IDF and Shin Bet. Anyone considered senior today was a mid-level figure not long ago, because everyone above him has been eliminated."
Regarding what the capture of the senior official yesterday means to Hamas members themselves, Amrusi said, “They fear for their lives and know that they can be reached on any given day. That is important, because the more they hide and flee, the more difficult it becomes for them to carry out operations against us."
“The Shin Bet and IDF must continue along the same path they have taken in recent months and eliminate every armed terrorist. Anyone carrying a weapon is carrying it in order to harm us and must be eliminated," Amrusi said.
When we pointed out that, in practice, armed men can be seen walking openly and in broad daylight through the streets of Gaza without interference, he responded, “I regret that."
“Every armed operative must be targeted. By doing so, we will achieve two objectives: harming the terrorists and undermining Hamas’ ability to govern, because when Hamas no longer has weapons on the streets, perhaps the reality for the population will be different. The IDF must take these steps."
We also asked whether the fact that the IDF operated in this incident - and apparently in additional incidents - beyond the Yellow Line is likely to draw international criticism.
Amrusi believes the answer is no, because “I’m not sure Gaza interests the world right now. The world is interested in Iranian oil. This is our opportunity to create a reality of a presence in Gaza similar to that in Judea and Samaria, so that we can arrest anyone we want. Obviously, it is more dangerous in Gaza because the enemy there is better armed and more dangerous, but we have now proven that it can be done without endangering IDF soldiers."
He added, “If someone needs to be eliminated from the air, then do it. But if you want to bring someone in for interrogation, the Shin Bet knows how to obtain the intelligence, track him over time and build an operation that will achieve the objective."