Israeli forces have been holding a former senior figure in Hamas’ military wing for nearly two years after capturing him in southern Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s Channel 15 said Basel Salhiya, a former senior commander in Hamas’ armed wing, was detained during the Gaza war and is expected to face trial in Israel.
According to the report, Salhiya had been imprisoned by Hamas before the war after publicly accusing senior figures in the movement of collaborating with Israel.
When the war erupted, an Israeli strike reportedly hit the prison where he was being held. Hamas then moved him to an apartment in Hamad City in the southern Gaza Strip, where he was placed under house arrest.
Israeli troops later reached the apartment, detained Salhiya and transferred him to Israel, the channel reported.
Israeli media described his capture as a significant intelligence and security development, linking Salhiya to a 2011 Hamas attack in which a Kornet anti-tank missile was fired at a bus carrying Israelis. A 16-year-old boy was killed in the attack.
Salhiya, also known as Abu Imad al-Tayyar, became the focus of controversy in 2021 when he released a video publicly attacking several senior Hamas military figures.
Among those he accused was Marwan Issa, who later served as deputy commander of the Qassam Brigades under Mohammed Deif. Both Issa and Deif were subsequently killed by Israel in separate strikes during the Gaza war.
In the video, Salhiya alleged that Issa had cooperated with Israel and said he had presented information supporting his accusations to Yahya Sinwar, then Hamas’ leader in Gaza, but that Sinwar questioned his claims.
Salhiya also claimed he had uncovered what he described as an Israeli tunnel network extending from communities surrounding Gaza deep into the territory. He alleged that Israel had secretly acquired land and homes in Gaza through collaborators to serve as entrances and exits for the tunnels.
He displayed a map purporting to show the alleged network and said he had shared the information with eight senior Hamas officials, including then-political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Salhiya separately accused an official in Hamas’ military intelligence apparatus of assisting Israel in the 2017 assassination of senior Hamas commander Mazen Fuqaha, who was shot dead near his home in Gaza City.
He also claimed Israel was preparing for a future ground operation in Gaza involving Israeli soldiers disguised as Hamas fighters and alleged that chemical weapons could be used against militants inside Hamas tunnels.
No independent evidence supporting those claims was presented in the report.
Following the publication of Salhiya’s video, Hamas detained him. His relatives later held several demonstrations in Gaza demanding his release or information about his whereabouts, but Hamas did not publicly meet their demands.
The Israeli report did not provide details on the charges Salhiya may face or the precise date of his capture.