From the United States comes news that the Israeli government was aware of Hamas’ combat plan for the October 7 attack more than a year before it occurred. The New York Times wrote this on the basis of documents, emails and interviews, adding that Israeli military and intelligence leaders rejected the plan as ambitious, believing it to be too difficult for the extremist movement to implement. The nearly 40-page document, which Israeli authorities code-named the “Jericho Wall,” lays out, point by point, the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of some 1,200 people.
The translated document, reviewed by The New York Times, did not specify a date for the attack, but described a systematic assault aimed at destroying fortifications around the Gaza Strip, seizing control of Israeli cities and storming major military bases, including a division headquarters. According to the newspaper, Hamas followed the project “with shocking precision.” The document predicted a barrage of missiles at the start of the attack, drones to disable security cameras and machine guns along the border, and an influx of armed men into Israel en masse on gliders, motorcycles and on foot — all of which occurred on October 7. . The plan also included details about the location and size of Israeli military forces, communications centers and other sensitive information, raising questions about how Hamas collects its intelligence and whether there are leaks within the Israeli security establishment.
The New York Times wrote that the document was widely circulated among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, but experts decided that an attack of this size and ambition was beyond Hamas’ capabilities. It is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other key political leaders have also seen the document. Last year, shortly after obtaining the document, officials from the IDF’s Gaza Division, which is responsible for defending the border with the Strip, said Hamas’ intentions were unclear. The military assessment reviewed by the newspaper said: “It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be implemented.” Then last July, just three months before the attacks, a veteran analyst from Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, warned that Hamas had conducted an intense one-day training that appeared similar to what was outlined in the plan. But a colonel in the Gaza Division dismissed his concerns, according to encrypted emails seen by The New York Times. “I completely deny that the scenario is fictional,” the analyst replied in emails. He pointed out that Hamas’ training is fully consistent with “the content of the Jericho Wall Plan.” “It is a plan designed to start a war,” he warned, “and it is not just an incursion into a village.”
Reproduction © Copyright ANSA
“Freelance social media evangelist. Organizer. Certified student. Music maven.”
