Shabak (Shin Bet) is the civilian internal security agency under the direct authority of the Prime Minister of Israel. It has five operational wings: 1. The Arab Affairs Department, which focuses on counterterrorism and intelligence gathering within Palestinian territories and Arab communities. 2. The Non-Arab Affairs (Counter-Espionage) Department, which handles foreign intelligence, internal security threats, and vetting of sensitive government positions. 3. The Technology Branch, responsible for developing cyber-intelligence, surveillance, and data-gathering technologies. 4. The Operational Branch, which oversees field operations, surveillance, and specialized security details. 5. Unit 730, which serves as a highly elite, specialized VIP protection unit responsible for the security of the Prime Minister and other prominent state leaders. Daniel Abrams is the Director of Unit 730. He is also married to Miriam Meir, Nava’s older sister.​

 

Daniel was born to Adam and Esther Abrams in Tel Aviv. His father was an engineer for Ludan Engineering in Tel Aviv. His mother was a physician at Wolfson Medical Center, just south of Tel Aviv in Jaffa. He is one of three children.  As a child, Abrams was certain he would follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a doctor. His parents did not guide him to that decision; It was one he made on his own. He adored his mother and felt there was no higher calling than that of medicine. That is, until 1995, when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Abrams had a front-row seat to his execution. As a 14-year-old delegate from the Hebrew Youth Corps, known as Tzofim, Abrams attended the anti-violence rally at which Rabin was the keynote speaker. The assassin, Yigal Amir, was standing two feet from Abrams when he fired two shots, hitting Rabin in the stomach and chest. One hour later, the Prime Minister died.

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Suddenly, Abrams found himself more interested in protecting people than curing them. His mother did nothing to dissuade him. At eighteen, he entered the military and served with distinction. After his tour, he attended the University of Haifa, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Security Studies, followed by a master’s in security and diplomacy at Tel Aviv University. The day he graduated from college, he went to work for Shin Bet.

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He began his Shin Bet career as a Protective Security Agent assigned to safeguard the Minister of Finance. After serving effectively in that role, he was promoted to protect the Minister of the Interior. The work was routine, as neither official posed substantial security risks. His first significant assignment was to lead the team of protective agents to ensure the Minister of Foreign Affairs' well-being. In 2014, Abram’s group foiled a plot by Hamas operatives who were planning to assassinate then-Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman using a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Among their many successes, Abram's group also exposed an Iranian-backed network operating via Jordan. The group was actively gathering intelligence to assassinate Foreign Minister Ben-Gvir and other public figures.

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His next role came as a mid-level Handler, in which he recruited and managed local informants. His first remarkable success came with the recruitment of Mosab Hassan Yousef, known as the "Son of Hamas.” As the son of a founding Hamas leader, he provided  Shin Bet with vital intelligence for over a decade, preventing dozens of suicide bombings and saving countless lives. He was also involved in recruiting Bassam Mahmoud Baraka, who lived in the southern sector of the Gaza Strip. He was a member of the Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigade, Hamas’ military wing. His participation as an informant foiled dozens of plots within the terrorist group aimed at several major cities in Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

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   As a high-level Handler, Abrams pioneered the process of controlled access to specialized medical care outside blockaded zones, using life-saving medical permits to recruit informants in exchange for treatment. Other breakthroughs under his command involved recruiting based on Financial Incentives: Shin Bet Agents began searching for targets with immense debt or business failures, offering lucrative "consulting fees" for seemingly harmless baseline data that gradually escalates into espionage.

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By this time, Abrams was making quite a name for himself as his ascension in the ranks was nothing short of meteoric. In 2023, he was promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his current role as Director of Unit 730. In that same year, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning against Netanyahu, saying it would “pursue and kill” the Israeli leader as tensions intensified in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Netanyahu showed no fear when informed of their statement. He knew who was overseeing his protection and had no doubt there would be no assassination.

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 As the leader of Unit 730, Abrams oversaw such activities as “Shooting and combat course in high-risk areas.” As well as “Urban combat courses and building entry.” He introduced the “Pedestrian and motorized tracking” efforts and refined the art of “Observations and Surveillance.” And while a great many of his successes were kept secret, it was well-known that he was the man who would someday serve as Shin Bet’s Chief of Operations.

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But his leadership was not perfect, as no leadership can guarantee positive results each time. There are failures. But provided with enough time and resources, Unit 730 was one of the most reliable teams in the world of Israeli political protection.