But Hamas’ ambitions extended beyond Gaza. The group actively sought financial and military support from regional powers, particularly Iran. As early as June 2021, Sinwar had written to Iranian authorities asking for financial help to finance what would become the October 7 attack. “We promise not to waste a single penny unless it leads us to achieve this sacred goal,” Sinwar reportedly wrote.
The request initially yielded $10 million in funding, after which Hamas requested a staggering $500 million to be distributed over two years.
change of strategy
The attack was originally scheduled for late 2022, but Hamas delayed it for more than a year. According to documents obtained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and shared with the Washington Post, this delay is largely due to continued efforts to obtain more substantial assistance from Iran and Hezbollah.
In August 2023, Hamas deputy Khalil al-Haya reportedly traveled to Lebanon to meet with Mohamed Saeed Izadi, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), to discuss details of the attack. are. Izadi expressed tentative support for Iran and Hezbollah, but said more time was needed to “prepare the environment” for broader regional escalation.
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Hamas had expected more direct involvement from these regional actors, but ultimately launched attacks without their immediate support. The exact reasons for this decision are still unclear, but the timing suggests some geopolitical factors. For example, Israel is on the verge of fielding a new advanced air defense system by mid-2023, and Hamas feared that further delays could thwart attacks, the New York Times reported. Reported.
Moreover, deteriorating relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia (a potential breakthrough in regional diplomacy) likely prompted Hamas to take action before relations could solidify.
The turmoil within Israel also played a role. By 2023, Israel was dealing with mass protests and political unrest caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reforms. Hamas leaders viewed Israel’s “internal situation” as a key vulnerability, reasoning that the country was preoccupied with internal crises and therefore vulnerable to a large-scale attack.
9/11 style attack conspiracy
One of the most chilling things these documents have revealed is Hamas’ original plan to carry out a 9/11-style bombing in Israel, targeting Tel Aviv’s iconic Azrieli Towers, The Washington Post says. Reported. These skyscrapers house offices, shopping malls, and a central train station. The plan envisioned a devastating attack reminiscent of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, with the goal of bringing down the towers and causing numerous casualties.
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However, after months of discussions, Hamas concluded that it lacked the capacity to carry out such an ambitious plan. The group scrapped 9/11-style bombing, along with other bold proposals such as using horse-drawn carriages as a “fast and light mechanism” to transport fighters beyond Israel’s defenses without arousing suspicion.
Hamas leaders believed they were ready to launch attacks by September 2022, starting with attacks on Israeli military bases and expanding into civilian areas. However, the raid was postponed again. Sinwar and his top commanders continued to formulate plans, including holding secret meetings with Iranian officials to plot a broader regional conflict, the report claimed.
element of surprise
One of the key factors in Hamas’s successful attack on October 7 was its ability to mislead Israeli intelligence. For nearly two years, Hamas has carefully cultivated the impression that it is focused on governing Gaza and avoiding conflict with Israel. The deception was intentional, according to the document, with Hamas leadership frequently discussing the need to lull Israel into a false sense of security.
After the Islamic holy month of Ramzan passed without major incidents in April 2022, Hamas leaders expressed relief that they had been able to “conceal their big plans.” By avoiding skirmishes, Hamas convinced Israel that it was not planning a major attack, according to the findings. The group continued this strategy from 2022 to 2023.
To ensure the success of this deception, Hamas kept the plan strictly compartmentalized. Only a few senior commanders, including Mr. Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatari political leader who was recently killed in Tehran, knew the full details of the attack plan. Lower-level operatives were not informed until just hours before the attack, the investigation claims.
decision to strike
After years of planning and months of preparation, Hamas finally decided to attack on October 7, 2023. The timing was important. It coincided with the Jewish holiday Simhat Torah, and was a time when Israel was vulnerable due to holiday observance and reduced military preparedness. The group debated launching the attack earlier, on Yom Kippur in late September, but ultimately chose Simhat Torah as the optimal time, the study claims.
On the morning of October 7, Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, carrying out a devastating multi-pronged attack. The group’s fighters targeted Israeli military bases and civilian communities and took hundreds of hostages, many of whom remain prisoners in Gaza.
Although Hamas launched the attack without the immediate participation of regional allies, the conflict quickly spread beyond Gaza’s borders. Within 24 hours of the attack, Lebanon-based Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israeli positions along the northern border. This opens up a second front in the conflict that could further escalate, involving Iran and its regional proxies.
what iran said
The extent of Iran and Hezbollah’s involvement in the October 7 attacks remains a subject of debate. Iranian leaders have denied direct involvement, and Khamenei has said Iran was not responsible for planning or carrying out the attack. U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies have also suggested that key Iranian officials may have been caught off guard by the timing of the attack.
Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York has rejected claims linking Tehran and Hamas’s October 7 surprise attack.
In response to questions from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the Iranian mission said, “Doha-based Hamas officials have no information about the operation, and that the Gaza-based Hamas announced that it had information only about the military sector, which was responsible for the planning, decision-making, and command of the operation, but denied any claims aimed at linking the operation, in part or in whole, with Iran or Hezbollah. It is invalid and is derived from a forged document.”