Arrow Unit
| Arrow Unit وحدة سهم | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | March 13, 2024 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Palestine |
| Legal jurisdiction | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Governing body | Government of the Gaza Strip |
| Operational structure | |
| Overseen by | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Headquarters | Gaza City |
| Elected officer responsible |
|
| Parent agency | Government of the Gaza Strip |
The Arrow Unit (Arabic: وحدة سهم, romanized: Wahdat Sahm) is a special unit of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Civil Police Force in the Gaza Strip that was formed in 2024 during the Gaza war. The unit is a participant in the Hamas–Popular Forces conflict.[1][2]
Origins
The unit is an outgrowth of a group of Gazan men wearing ski masks and black clothing who appeared at public areas subject to unrest, such as bread lines, ATMs, and markets,[1] rounding up and beating suspected thieves. Their leader was believed to be an unnamed police officer.[3]
The Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip officially adopted the unit in March 2024, with the objectives of promoting internal stability and cooperating with local tribal committees to protect aid convoys. Police officers, members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and members of local tribes joined the Arrow Unit's ranks.[1]
Tasks
The Arrow Unit has stated it is tasked with the following:[1]
- Controlling the security situation in the Gaza Strip and pursing local collaborators with Israel
- Monitoring and controlling market prices and combatting hoarders of commodities
- Pursuing looters of humanitarian aid
- Reducing the chaos that Israel seeks to spread in Gaza
- Ensuring security on main roads, especially those used by aid convoys
- Ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to designated warehouses for distribution to citizens
Activities
The Arrow Unit has frequently employed extrajudicial executions.[4] An official of the Gazan interior ministry has stated that executions "set an example for others and prevent chaos from being the norm in Gaza". Not all looters or collaborators detained by the Arrow Unit are executed, however, with others being beaten or imprisoned.[3]
The Arrow Unit's first major operation during the Gaza war was a raid against the Israeli-backed Popular Forces on 19 November 2024, just after the latter had carried out the Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting three days earlier. About 20 Popular Forces militants were killed in the operation.[3]
On 3 May 2025, the Arrow Unit announced a strict nightly curfew for the Gaza Strip with the pretext that it would facilitate the hunting down of collaborators and thieves. The unit stated that anyone who violated the curfew without justification would be treated as a collaborator.[4]
On 12 June, the Arrow Unit detained and killed 12 people who it said were Popular Forces militants; the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had claimed the dead were its aid workers.[5]
Criticism
Reportedly, some Gazans oppose the Arrow Unit and accuse them of illicit bullying, harassment, executing civilians, stealing aid for themselves, and targeting local clans known to be less loyal to Hamas.[4]
See also
- Societal breakdown in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war
- Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
- Yasser Abu Shabab
References
- ^ a b c d ""وحدة سهم" قوة أمنية غزية تلاحق عملاء الاحتلال الإسرائيلي". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). 29 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Hamas police says it killed 12 members of Gaza's Israeli-backed Abu Shabab militia". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b c "Inside the Hamas unit fighting Israeli-armed gangs that loot aid and facilitate displacement in Gaza". Mondoweiss. 2025-06-06. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b c "Hamas executes aid looters in Gaza Strip | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters. Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers". PBS News. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-10.