Leaders of Palestinian factions living in exile have adopted strict security measures following Israeli threats to target senior Hamas figures abroad.
According to The New Arab’s Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Cairo were among those taking precautions after Israeli army chief of staff Eyal Zamir vowed that Israel "will reach" Hamas leaders overseas.
His threat followed Tel Aviv’s announcement last week that Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, had been assassinated in Gaza.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Israeli army quoted Zamir as saying the army "is operating offensively, preemptively, with operational superiority in all areas and at all times".
"In the Gaza Strip, we attacked Abu Obaida, one of the top Hamas leaders, after most of Hamas’s leadership had been eliminated, and our hand remains extended. Most of what remains of the Hamas leadership abroad - we will reach them too," he added.
An Egyptian source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Cairo has warned against any harm to the secretary-general of Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who has been staying in the Egyptian capital almost permanently in recent months amid increasing Israeli threats to target him.
The source revealed that, as part of its role in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, Egypt had recently accepted a regional mediation request to provide al-Nakhalah with semi-permanent residency.
A source from the Islamic Jihad office in Lebanon declined to comment to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on reports of al-Nakhalah’s move to Cairo, saying the movement "does not comment on such news".
Fears that Israel may follow through on its threats to target Palestinian leaders abroad also extend to Hamas officials who regularly visit Egypt as part of coordination with the Egyptian General Intelligence Service.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that a number of Hamas officials have already relocated from Lebanon amid Israel’s repeated violations of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.
The website said Hamas has received warnings from officials in several countries where members of the movement’s political bureau reside, urging them to adopt strict security measures and impose guard protection during their movements.
A Hamas official told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Turkey has recently tightened security around several Hamas leaders in the country, as well as around some freed Palestinian prisoners who moved there following their release in the most recent prisoner exchange deal.
A Hamas source in Doha said that the movement's leaders outside Gaza have been under strict security measures since the war on the Strip began on 7 October 2023, and that these measures have recently intensified.
He added that the leadership team of Hamas and other factions has been distributed across several locations outside the country for security and operational reasons.