Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) that Israeli forces captured a senior Hamas figure during a ground operation in Gaza. Palestinian health officials said the operation killed four people.

Netanyahu identified the captured man as the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus in Gaza, saying he had been involved with Israeli hostages previously held there. He did not provide further details.

Hamas's Interior Ministry in Gaza and Israeli media named the man as Muein al-Arabid. The Israeli military and Shin Bet domestic security service said in a joint statement that he had "recently worked to consolidate the Hamas terrorist organization's control over the northern Gaza Strip and to advance terrorist attacks against IDF troops."