NEW DELHI: Around eight weeks into the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a recent report indicates that Israeli officials had received documentation outlining the planned Hamas attack a year before its occurrence. Moreover, the report suggests that the Israeli authorities dismissed the documents, considering them ‘overly ambitious’ and something deemed ‘impossible for Hamas’ to execute.
According to The New York Times, it examined the 40-page document named ‘Jericho Wall,’ which did not specify a particular date for the execution of the Hamas assault. Nevertheless, about one year later, on October 7, 2023, the report indicated that Hamas executed the attack precisely as outlined in the document.
Hamas Executed The Plan With Astonishing Accuracy:
The document detailed that Hamas terrorists planned to employ a combination of rockets and drones to target Israel. Moreover, the terror group intended to use security cameras and automated machine guns along the border, while armed individuals would enter the country on motorcycles and on foot. Remarkably, all these elements unfolded precisely on October 7, the day when the assault was initially reported.
The plan also disclosed sensitive details about the positioning of Israeli military forces. While the report did not specify when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu or other top officials became aware of the document, it mentioned that experts within Netanyahu’s country concluded that the outlined attack, as described in the document, exceeded the capabilities of Hamas.
In July, an experienced analyst from Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, raised concerns. The analyst warned that Hamas had conducted an intense, daylong training exercise resembling elements outlined in the blueprint. However, the report suggests that a colonel once again dismissed these concerns.
Meanwhile, in the preceding month, the chief of Israel‘s domestic security service took accountability for the lapses in intelligence that allowed Hamas to execute the most devastating attack on the Jewish state. Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, admitted that the lack of advance warning about the Hamas attack fell under his responsibility.
“Despite a series of actions we undertook, regrettably, we failed to provide a sufficient warning that would have allowed us to thwart the attack. As the head of the organisation, the responsibility for this falls on me,” he said in a letter to the organisation’s employees as per Israel-based Haaretz.
Israel’s intelligence agencies, such as Mossad and Shin Bet, are renowned for their prowess in gathering intelligence. However, the nature of the attack carried out by Hamas surprised many experts who found it difficult to believe that a terrorist organisation could successfully execute an assault of this magnitude.
The sequence of attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists and the subsequent counterstrikes by Israel has resulted in the death of 1,200 people in Netanyahu’s country. Additionally, since the commencement of the war, over 13,000 Palestinians have lost their lives. Furthermore, the terror group held 240 people as hostages, with some being released following a recent ceasefire agreed upon by both sides in recent days.