Newly surfaced Al Jazeera footage from western Gaza City shows the dramatic moments of a special covert operation carried out Tuesday morning, in which Israeli forces shot at and ultimately captured a senior Hamas official. The video shows heavy gunfire and smoke in the street as the Hamas figure attempts to crawl away and hide beneath trees near a building.

The Israeli Air Force carried out more than a dozen strikes in the area near the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City Tuesday morning, coinciding with the exchange of fire tied to the operation. Defense Minister Israel Katz later confirmed that security forces had captured Mahmoud al-Arabid, head of Hamas's General Security Apparatus — a role equivalent to the head of Shin Bet within the organization.

The operation was directed from the Shin Bet's special operations command post under Southern Command, with political-echelon approval, and had reportedly been planned over several months. Local collaborators, led by Rasan Dahini of the Abu Shabab militia, reportedly participated as well. Forces raided a building in the al-Katiba area where al-Arabid was staying with his family; during the resulting gunfight, al-Arabid was wounded, and four Palestinians were killed, including his wife and son. He was removed from Gaza to Israel while wounded but conscious, and is being hospitalized under guard while under interrogation.

Al-Arabid, a veteran Hamas operative since the 1990s, had overseen the organization's militia affairs and worked to restore Hamas's grip on the Strip. Israeli security officials say bringing him in alive carries significant intelligence value, as well as a deliberate message to Hamas leadership that Israel remains capable of operating on the ground and reaching targets deep inside Gaza.