Hamas tried to persuade two of its allies- Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, to join its October 7, 2023, attack against Israel or at least commit to a broader fight if the Palestinian militant group staged a surprise cross-border raid, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Saturday citing minutes of Hamas’ secret meetings which were seized by the Israeli military.
The report said that the documents showed extensive efforts to deceive Israel about its intentions as Hamas laid the groundwork for a bold assault and a regional conflagration that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar hoped would cause Israel to “collapse.”
The documents consist of minutes from 10 secret planning meetings of a small group of Hamas political and military leaders in the run-up to the attack.
Hamas planned to attack in fall of 2022
The documents showed that Hamas initially planned to carry out its attack on Israel in the fall of 2022, but delayed it as the Palestinian militant group was persuading Iran and Hezbollah to participate.
Hamas members said that the internal situation in Israel- an apparent reference to the turmoil over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary- was among the reasons they were “compelled to move toward a strategic battle.”
The documents cited by The NYT further revealed that in July 2023, a top Hamas official visited Lebanon, where he met a senior Iranian commander and requested help with striking sensitive sites at the start of the assault.
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This Iranian commander told the Hamas official that Tehran and Hezbollah were supportive in principle, but needed more time to prepare.
Hamas planned to discuss attack with Hassan Nasrallah
Hamas planned to discuss its attack with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was recently assassinated by Israel. It was not known whether the discussion with Hezbollah happened.
Hamas felt assured of its allies’ general support but concluded it might need to go ahead without their full involvement.
The documents also highlighted that Hamas deliberately avoided confrontations with Israel for two years from 2021, so that it could maximise the surprise of the October 7 attack.
The Gaza war
Hamas militants attacked southern Israel (on October 7 last year), killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages remain held by Hamas.
Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
(With inputs from agencies)