Hamas’s top officials in Gaza have been told by the group’s leadership to once again refrain from using their mobile phones due to concerns that Israeli forces could use them to pinpoint their locations, according to a report from the Saudi-based Asharq Al-Awsat news outlet.
This warning comes in the wake of Israel’s message to Hamas, stating that military operations in the Strip would intensify if the terror group fails to release a certain number of hostages by Shabbos. However, it remains unclear how many captives Israel expects to be freed.
Hamas sources indicated that the directive for its officials to avoid cell phone use inside Gaza was already drafted prior to the group’s announcement that it was delaying the upcoming hostage release. Initially, the instruction was set to be issued after the first stage of the ceasefire had concluded.
However, due to both Hamas and Israel making preparations for a possible breakdown of the truce sooner than anticipated, the order was expedited and communicated earlier than planned.
The report highlights that Hamas’s primary concern regarding mobile phone usage among its high-ranking operatives is the possibility that Israel could track their locations and eliminate them.
{Matzav.com Israel}