Hamas militants were preparing for the second stage of attacks on Israel — in the West Bank and beyond. Maps, drawings, notes, as well as weapons and equipment found in them testify to the intentions of the militants.
“The Washington Post” writes about this with reference to more than 10 sources in intelligence and security forces from four countries of the West and the Middle East.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, some militants had a supply of food, ammunition and equipment for several days and were ordered to move deep into Israel, to major cities, if the first wave of attacks is successful. They planned to continue the assault all the way to the border of the West Bank.
According to analysts, Hamas carefully planned and prepared the massacre of Israeli civilians and was ready to strike back. Hamas leaders have publicly stated that they are willing to accept heavy casualties — including the deaths of many civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs," said Ghazi Hamad, a member of the Hamas politburo, in an interview with the Lebanese TV channel LCBI, which aired on October 24.
Hamas fighters have trained with imported AK-47 rifles, pistols, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and thermobaric shells, and have closely surveyed Israeli settlements and military bases using drones. In addition, the militants received intelligence from residents of the Gaza Strip, to whom Israel allowed entry for work. To support the economic development of the exclave, Israel agreed to grant work permits to 20 000 workers from the Gaza Strip.
The October 7 attack was the most brutal in Israelʼs history, 22 Israeli settlements were attacked, about 1 200 civilians were killed, and 241 people were captured. However, Hamas officials did not expect almost all of the October 7 assault groups to achieve their initial objectives. They still consider the October 7 attacks a strategic victory over Israel.
- In late October, CNN reported that a cell of Hamas militants had been using a network of landline phones embedded in tunnels in the Gaza Strip for two years to plan an attack on Israel on October 7. Thanks to these phone lines, Israeli intelligence could not monitor the militantsʼ conversations.