Why did Hamas 'reshuffle' so many security bosses?
Hamas' Interior Ministry in Gaza has appointed several new officials to top security positions, raising questions about its motives.
The Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza announced in late September what it called an administrative reshuffle in its security institutions, a move that affected a number of senior officers in prestigious positions.
On Oct. 5, Col. Mohammed Ashour was appointed director of the Department of Interpol; Lt. Col. Hamadoun al-Qudra director of the Department to Combat Drugs; Col. Asaad al-Harthani deputy director of management and administration; and Col. Bassam Koka deputy director of the police force charged with intervention and maintaining order. On Sept. 30, Maj. Gen. Sami Nofal was appointed assistant to the director general of the National Security Forces; Mohammed Debabeche head of the General Intelligence Service; and Brig. Gen. Mohammed Khalaf director of the maritime police.
These positions are particularly crucial, considering the resumes of the officers appointed and the importance of the positions. The National Security Forces were established after Hamas’ takeover of Gaza in 2007 and guard Gaza's borders against security breaches by Israeli forces. Hamas formed the General Intelligence Service in August 2015. While it is not clear whether this service operates outside of Gaza, Hamas has dedicated its most skilled officers to it.
Among the newly appointed officers, Nofal was a security consultant for Hamas' former Interior Minister Said Siam, then served as comptroller at the Interior Ministry. Israel bombed his house during the war in the summer of 2014.
