Senior Hamas official Mohammed Nazal was interviewed overnight Saturday on the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, where he addressed the profile article Israel Hayom published in on Tawfiq Abu Naim – a senior terrorist organization official in Gaza who could contend for its leadership the day after the war.
"Brother Tawfiq Abu Naim was a great fighter in the prisons of (Israel) for a lengthy period," Nazal responded to the host's query, "following his release and return to the Gaza Strip, he was appointed to formal positions (in Hamas) and demonstrated substantial capabilities in them. I believe that this report is an intelligence report intended to try and test the waters, and to attempt to glean any information about Brother Tawfiq Abu Naim. This is because since October 7, 2023, brother Tawfiq Abu Naim has not appeared publicly at all and (Israel) possesses no information about him, save for contradictory intelligence. They therefore wish, sometimes through specific news items, to test the waters."
Video: Hamas speaking on Israel Hayom / Social media
The senior Hamas official operating abroad, speaking from his location in Turkey, asserted that the article's objective was apparently to gather reactions to the report: "Personally, I do not know where Brother Tawfiq Abu Naim is, where he is currently, or what his status and condition is. This is because from the start of the war until now, I have received no information concerning him. The final point I wish to make is that the Hamas movement, when selecting its leadership – it chooses them through an election process, even within the Gaza Strip."
He added, "The posts are filled according to internal mechanisms, and during the war all posts were filled. Mohammed Sinwar died and was succeeded by Brother Ez A-Din Al-Hadad as commander of the Ez A-Din Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing; S.K.). The posts are filled via mechanisms that are recognized internally. Consequently, if the Hamas movement seeks to fill specific posts or elect a particular leader, then it will elect him through the election mechanisms. This is my comment concerning the report on Tawfiq Abu Naim."
The article examined the background of Abu Naim – a confidant of Yahya Sinwar who was imprisoned with him for two decades. After two years of war and the elimination of many of his partners, Abu Naim is well-positioned to become the new leader of the terrorist organization in Gaza. With his experience in senior roles within the Hamas government and his connections to Egyptian intelligence, he may, apparently, integrate into the post-war agenda. The man who was previously the head of the internal security mechanisms in Gaza, responsible for neutralizing any intelligence breach, is one of the last senior officials who has survived.
