In a latest investigation by The Washington Publish, seized paperwork from Hamas command centres in Gaza have unveiled a extra expansive and lethal plan to assault Israel. These data, obtained by Israeli forces, define detailed methods that had been in movement lengthy earlier than the October 7, 2023 assault.
Among the many plans was a proposal for a 9/11-style destruction of Tel Aviv’s skyscrapers, focusing on the Moshe Aviv Tower and the Azrieli Centre advanced. Hamas additionally envisioned assaults utilizing railways, boats, and even horse-drawn chariots. Whereas a few of these concepts had been impractical, they underscore Hamas’s dedication to attract in allied militant teams for a coordinated assault from all instructions.
Letters from 2021 reveal that Hamas leaders, together with Yahya Sinwar, sought a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} from Iran to fund 12,000 further fighters, vowing to “destroy Israel fully.”
Israeli officers imagine this effort was a part of a broader push to contain Iran immediately, although Tehran had traditionally averted direct navy confrontation with Israel. Regardless of this, it’s believed that Iran considerably elevated its monetary and navy assist to Hamas in 2023.
One Israeli safety official claimed Hamas was so intent on annihilating Israel that it dragged Iran into the battle, regardless of Tehran’s reluctance. The captured paperwork, together with a 36-page presentation, present insights into Hamas’s strategic planning, which mixed each low-tech and superior techniques.
Nevertheless, some plans, like toppling a skyscraper, lacked sensible particulars, with one doc admitting they had been nonetheless “working to discover a mechanism to destroy the tower.”
The Washington Publish experiences that Israeli intelligence obtained these paperwork after launching its floor invasion of Gaza, including that whereas the authenticity of the papers is tough to confirm absolutely, the contents align with intelligence assessments following the October 7 assault. Iran, nonetheless, has denied involvement, with its officers labelling the paperwork as a part of an Israeli disinformation marketing campaign.
Hamas has declined to touch upon the specifics, sustaining that Israel has a historical past of fabricating proof. Nevertheless, Israeli and US intelligence officers imagine that whereas Iran might not have recognized concerning the exact timing of the October 7 assault, it was conscious of Hamas’s common preparations for a serious assault.
This trove of paperwork affords a sobering glimpse into the long-term ambitions of Hamas and its efforts to show regional allies, together with Iran and Hezbollah, into contributors in an all-out warfare towards Israel.
(with inputs from The Washington Publish)
