Hamas officials fear another Israeli assassination attempt outside of Palestinian territory, and, as a result, have created new preventative security guidelines for leadership to follow, senior officials in the terror group told Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday.
The leadership of the terrorist organization has tightened its security measures since the strike in Doha, convinced that Israel will use advanced technologies to target its leadership, the sources said.
The new instructions say that leaders must keep cell phones at least 70 meters away from meeting sites, as well as medical and electronic devices, including watches.
The instructions also stressed that meeting venues must be constantly inspected in case small cameras are planted through human agents, “particularly since Israeli security services resort to installing cameras and spying devices during maintenance work inside buildings that they identify as future targets,” the report quoted the instructions as saying.
“Israel relies on a chain of elements to monitor and track its targets, including human factors such as cleaning staff or others, or even individuals in the first circle around the wanted person, as well as mobile phones and other tools that can be used for surveillance, such as screens, air conditioners, and more,” the document reportedly says.
The document also emphasized that turning off phones does not prevent tracking, as any device operating through WiFi can be hacked. Additionally, it states that smart watches and similar devices can be used to count the number of people in any room, according to Asharq al-Awsat.
A source said that it has assessed that its leaders may be targeted in a non-Arab state; however, they did not say which one.
Concern grows after killing of senior Hezbollah official
Concern grew after the killing of senior Hezbollah official Haytham Ali Tabatabai in late November, the sources told the Saudi news site.
Despite American reassurances to Gaza deal mediators, including Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, that last September’s Doha strike would not be repeated, Hamas’s leadership still “does not trust Israel,” according to the officials.
One source said that Israel could attempt another assassination to obstruct the second phase of the Gaza deal.
In addition to the strike in Doha, the IDF killed former deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in the southern suburbs of Beirut in January 2024, and former head of its political bureau Ismail Haniyah in Tehran in July of the same year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the Qatar strike after pressure from US President Donald Trump.