Israeli authorities have reportedly been secretly holding senior Hamas military commander Basel Salahiya for the past two years after he was captured during fighting in Gaza. Salahiya, who allegedly orchestrated the deadly 2011 Kornet missile attack that killed Israeli teenager Daniel Viflik Hy”d, is expected to stand trial in Israel for his role in multiple terrorist attacks. The revelation was first reported by journalist Avishai Grinzaig on i24NEWS.

According to the report, Salahiya’s capture followed an extraordinary chain of events that began years before the current war. Roughly five years ago, a bitter dispute erupted within Hamas’s military leadership after Salahiya accused senior commander Marwan Issa of betrayal. The accusations reportedly triggered a deep rift between Salahiya and the organization’s top military leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. As tensions escalated, Sinwar allegedly ordered Salahiya’s arrest, and he was imprisoned inside the Gaza Strip.

When the war in Gaza broke out, the prison where Salahiya was being held was reportedly destroyed in an Israeli Air Force strike. Hamas subsequently transferred him to house arrest in the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Younis. During the IDF’s ground operations in the area, Israeli forces raided the building where he was being held, took him into custody, and transferred him to Israel, where he has remained ever since.

His arrest comes as Israel continues targeting Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre. In recent weeks, the IDF has eliminated several senior Nukhba commanders who participated in attacks on Israeli communities, including the commander of the unit that infiltrated the Re’im military base and another who led the assault on Kibbutz Nirim.

Salahiya’s anticipated prosecution is expected to bring a measure of justice for one of the most notorious terrorist attacks carried out before the current war. According to the report, he was directly responsible for the April 2011 Kornet anti-tank missile attack on a school bus near Sha’ar HaNegev.

That attack claimed the life of 16-year-old Daniel Viflik Hy”d after Hamas terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the bus, an incident that had a significant impact on Israel’s security policy at the time. Years later, after first being imprisoned by Hamas itself, Salahiya now faces prosecution in an Israeli court for his alleged role in the attack.

The report noted that Salahiya’s story highlights the intense internal rivalries that have existed within Hamas. His conflict with Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar—both of whom were later eliminated by the IDF—ultimately led to his imprisonment by the terrorist organization, a development that eventually enabled Israeli forces to capture him during the war.

Meanwhile, IDF forces under Southern Command continue operations throughout Gaza aimed at eliminating immediate threats to Israeli troops and civilians. Military officials say the terrorists targeted in recent weeks had been working to rebuild Hamas’s operational capabilities and advance additional terror plots against Israel.

{Matzav.com}