Hamas abroad bans electronics, air conditioners, fearing Israeli attack

The heightened rules were drafted after a failed strike in Doha in September, when Israel targeted senior Hamas terrorists.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel’s effort to disrupt Hamas’s senior leadership abroad has prompted the group to impose sweeping limitations on how its members meet and communicate, according to new details published Thursday by the Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

The heightened rules were drafted after a failed strike in Doha in September, when Israel targeted senior Hamas terrorists.

The newspaper carried a document outlining strict internal security procedures meant to prevent Israeli surveillance, including a ban on bringing air conditioners, smartwatches, phones, routers, television screens, or any other electronic or medical device into meeting rooms.

All devices, the document says, must be left roughly 70 meters away, and rooms are to be inspected for hidden cameras before discussions begin.

The heightened rules were drafted after a failed strike in Doha in September, when Israel targeted senior Hamas figures who had assembled to discuss possible ceasefire arrangements with Gaza.

Although the attack did not kill its intended targets, Hamas leaders living outside the territory now assume that Israel “will continue to track them using sophisticated technology,” the paper quoted one source as saying.

Asharq Al-Awsat reports that concern among Hamas officials has grown since that attempt, leading to dramatic changes in how they operate throughout the region.

Meetings are no longer permitted at regular sites or at predictable intervals. Instead, gatherings must shift from place to place and be scheduled without a fixed pattern.

Senior members residing across the Arab world and beyond are said to have increased their personal security details and limited their movements.

Hamas officials told the newspaper that even assurances from Washington have not eased their anxiety.

Although US officials conveyed that Israel would not repeat the Doha attack, the group’s leadership abroad remains doubtful.

The report says many fear Israel could again attempt to strike those involved in operational decisions, including individuals responsible for directing attacks from eastern Rafah or other fronts.

The newspaper’s account adds that the internal guidelines were circulated recently to all senior Hamas members abroad, reflecting a belief inside Hamas that further action against its leadership may be imminent, regardless of external guarantees.