The use of Israeli special forces for camouflage during operations in Gaza highlights the secret operational units facing Hamas militants who also dress in civilian clothes, posing risks to civilian lives. The "Mista'arvim," trained operatives who blend into Arab culture, have adapted their skills from the West Bank to Gaza. Their involvement in the war in Gaza underscores the high risks associated with covert operations in such a volatile environment, similar to how Hamas fighters’ use of civilian clothing complicates the conflict, as both sides employ deception to achieve their objectives, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The paper noted that in early June, Israeli commandos rescued four hostages, with team members entering Gaza in two dilapidated trucks—one featuring a soap advertisement and the other carrying mattresses and furniture. While armed, their primary weapon was stealth, as they hid in a Hamas stronghold until the shooting began, the Wall Street Journal described. This mission became a prime example of Israel’s secret units in the battlefield of Gaza, an area that these covert forces consider nearly impossible to penetrate.
Deception is a skill set honed by Israeli security agencies over decades in the West Bank, where operatives are known as "Mista'arvim," a Hebrew term borrowed from an Arabic phrase referring to individuals steeped in Arab culture. The presence of this covert unit in Gaza adds a new and dangerous element to the war zone, as civilian disguises may sometimes lead to war crimes, considering that Hamas fighters also do not wear military clothing.
### History of These Secret Units
Israeli special secret units are known for including elements disguised as Arabs to gather intelligence, infiltrate protests, rescue hostages, and engage in counter-terrorism operations. The first "Mista'arvim" unit, known as the "Arab Section," was established in 1942 during the Jewish establishment's cooperation with British Mandate authorities in Palestine during World War II. The British needed intelligence operatives to penetrate the local populations of the Levant and thwart German plans in the region. With the defeat of Germany, the British no longer needed this faction, leading to its eventual dismantlement. However, it was soon re-launched as an independent unit called "Shahar" (Dawn), primarily aimed at infiltrating Palestinian communities for espionage and sabotage purposes, according to the "Virtual Library of Armies."
A former member of the Israeli special forces, Ilan Perry, told the library site: "Mista'arvim must have courage, patience, attention, self-confidence, and charisma."
### Who Are They?
In 1986, Ehud Barak, who was then the head of the Israeli military's central command and later became prime minister, established a more developed and organized "Mista'arvim" unit called "Duvdevan" (Hebrew for cherry) or Unit 217. This unit consists of recruits, often from Druze and Bedouin backgrounds, who are generally close to Arab culture, language, and customs. They look, speak, and dress like Arabs and ride their bicycles in the West Bank and Gaza as easily as they do on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv.
Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs and intelligence, Ismat Omar, previously told The Guardian, "They create an atmosphere of distrust, fear, and paranoia among the protesters because you can't really know if this person next to you [in the protest] is another demonstrator like you, or a covert operative who can abduct you at any moment or pull out a weapon."
The Mista'arvim also have law enforcement powers, and in recent years they have gained notoriety for carrying out arrests whereby operatives in civilian clothes blend into a crowd and suddenly abduct suspects.
### Their Work
Mista'arvim operate in Israel, where Palestinian citizens are subject to civil law rather than military law applicable in occupied territories. Mista'arvim gather intelligence, including monitoring protests to identify organizers and recurring faces. Activists, lawyers, and young Palestinians argue that deploying Mista'arvim against a specific ethnic minority in a country is undemocratic. Israel has only recently acknowledged its use of these operatives on its territory.
### Their Numbers
In addition to the well-known "Sayeret" Duvdevan also known as Unit 217, there are other Mista'arvim units such as "Shimshon" (Unit 367), which operates in the south near the Gaza border; "Yamas", which is part of the Israeli border police and mainly operates in Jerusalem; and "Gideonim" (Unit 33), a police force operating within Israel.
Through social media, Palestinians have begun to share warnings about the presence of undercover agents—with instructions on how to avoid arrest or harm from them, according to The Guardian.
### Their Work in Gaza
Israeli military officials stated that the rescue operation conducted last month in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza relied on weeks of intelligence gathering, with commandos trained to replicate the buildings housing the hostages. Camouflage was critical for the operation carried out in broad daylight. Israeli officials told the Wall Street Journal that they feared Hamas militants would kill the hostages the moment they discovered the Israeli commandos' presence.
In simultaneous raids on two residential buildings, the teams maintained the element of surprise. Military officials stated that Israeli forces overcame the kidnappers after engaging in battles through crowded streets to transport the hostages to the beach and evacuate them via helicopters. It is likely that the undercover agents had entered the neighborhood weeks before the rescue operation, according to Tomer Tzaban, a member of a small secret military unit that operated in Gaza in the 1990s in a conversation with the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that Israeli intelligence is likely recruiting local collaborators within Gaza while Mista'arvim continue to operate there, as Tzaban indicated.
