Who is Tawfiq Abu Na'im? .. "Hebrew media" nominates a prisoner from the Shalit deal to succeed Sinwar in Gaza

In light of the leadership vacuum left by the assassination of Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip, and the failure of the recent prisoner exchange deal to secure the release of prominent leaders from the occupation's prisons, a report by the Hebrew newspaper "Israel Hayom" highlighted a prominent security figure, Tawfiq Abu Naim, strongly suggesting him as a candidate to succeed Sinwar and play a pivotal role in shaping the post-war phase in the sector.

Tawfiq Abu Naim is 63 years old and was born in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. He studied Islamic law at the Islamic University of Gaza and was one of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's students. In 1983, he joined a local cell of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He was a founding member of Hamas's "Mujd" security apparatus, alongside Yahya Sinwar and Rouhi Mushtaha, which was tasked with pursuing and eliminating "collaborators" with the occupation. He was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment, during which he learned Hebrew.

He was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal for soldier Gilad Shalit and returned to the Gaza Strip. After his return, Abu Naim did not settle for merely formal administrative roles. In addition to holding positions related to the affairs of the families of martyrs and prisoners, and managing the reception of Palestinians returning from Syria, he was appointed in 2015 to a highly sensitive security position.

As the old "Mujd" apparatus transformed into a strong and dominant security force under Sinwar's leadership, Abu Naim became responsible for all security agencies in Gaza. His main tasks included thwarting any intelligence breaches by the occupation, strengthening police arms and internal security forces, and suppressing any political protests or internal opposition with an iron fist.

"Israel Hayom" sees Abu Naim's rise as occurring amid an expanding leadership gap in Gaza. Following the assassination of Sinwar and other leaders, and with external leaders remaining in exile, only a few from the founding generation remain inside, the most notable being the aging Mahmoud al-Zahar.

The newspaper expects Abu Naim, alongside prominent leaders of the military wing, to participate in shaping the post-war phase. Given his broader political experience compared to military leaders, Abu Naim may emerge as a "key figure pulling the strings from behind the scenes."