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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have raised their alert level amid concerns over Israeli assassination attempts against former prisoners from the West Bank who had been deported to Gaza in previous exchange deals.
Israel accuses these prisoners of inciting and directing armed operations in the West Bank against Israeli forces and settlers.
An official in Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the manned and unmanned Israeli aircraft hovering over Gaza may be collecting data prior to carrying out assassinations against former prisoners deported to the Gaza Strip.
The source revealed that in the past days, the Israeli army flew suicide drones in the skies of the Gaza Strip to potentially look for a specific target before carrying out an assassination operation.
On Oct. 30, the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel had quoted sources from Palestinian factions as saying that the latter had taken precautionary measures to protect some figures they fear would be targeted by Israel.
The sources noted that such concerns come in light of the numerous Israeli drones hovering over Gaza in recent days.
The Palestinian factions’ concerns coincide with the escalation of armed operations in the West Bank.
On Oct. 29, a Palestinian man carried out a shooting attack at a checkpoint near the Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron, killing one Israeli and injuring five others, before he was shot dead. The shooting attack was claimed by the Hamas movement.
The next day, on Oct. 30, another Palestinian man rammed his car against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Jericho, injuring five of them, before he was also shot dead by the Israeli army.
Meanwhile, Israel accuses Hamas of financing the Lion's Den group, which it accuses of being behind the escalating attacks in the West Bank.
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades official said that Hamas took a series of security measures to protect individuals that may be targeted by Israel, including increasing the number of bodyguards of these figures while asking them to refrain from showing up in public spaces.
The source further warned that his movement would not let any assassination attempt pass without a powerful response that the Israeli army would never expect.
On Nov. 1, Israel’s Channel 12 quoted Israeli security sources as saying that there are concerns that security tensions will spread across the West Bank with the support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The sources referred to Wael al-Jaabari, a former prisoner who was deported to Gaza, and the brother of Mohammed al-Jaabari who carried out the Oct. 29 Kiryat Arba operation.
Yousef al-Sharqawi, retired Palestinian major general and military expert, told Al-Monitor that it is possible that Israel carries out assassination attempts against some figures in Gaza, because it cannot incur more losses and deaths in the West Bank.
Since the beginning of this year, 25 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel in armed operations carried out by Palestinians, a large number not seen in years, he added.
Ayman al-Rafati, political analyst and researcher at the Center for Regional Studies in the Gaza Strip, concurred, as he told Al-Monitor that Israel will seek to quell the escalating tension in the West Bank by assassinating figures in Gaza.
Several indicators suggest that Israel is planning a move in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. The drones hovering in the skies of Gaza have reinforced this assumption amid concerns over Israel carrying out assassination operations after the Israeli elections.
