The newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat," published in London in Arabic, reported that "Hamas fears special operations by the IDF or U.S. military, or indirect cooperation between them, aimed at attempting to free hostages from deep inside the Gaza Strip." According to sources who spoke with the newspaper, Hamas has taken "stringent security measures" to detect infiltration attempts by special forces into locations where hostages are being held. The report also stated that explicit instructions were given to members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades to monitor any suspicious movement.