A Hamas cell used a network of landline phones embedded in tunnels in the Gaza Strip for two years to plan an attack on Israel on October 7.
Two sources familiar with US intelligence reported this to CNN.
Thanks to the telephone lines in the tunnels, Israeli intelligence could not monitor the negotiations of the militants. According to the American special services, this cell did not use computers or mobile phones for two years. Militants remained in the shadows and became active only before the start of the attack on October 7.
According to one of CNNʼs sources, Hamas fighters had been training for many months and were in a state of general readiness, but they did not learn about the specific plans until the eve of the attack.
An Israeli official said that during a raid in the city of Jenin, the Israeli military discovered protected wire communication lines and video surveillance cameras. At the time, the IDF informed that it was a "terrorist coordination and communication center" used for "advanced surveillance and intelligence."
- The Israel Defense Forces refer to the tunnels built by Hamas over the past 15 years as the "Gaza Metro." The tunnels form a huge labyrinth where missiles and ammunition are stored. It also allows militants to move undetected. The IDF claims that important Hamas command centers are located there.
- 85-year-old Israeli Yoheved Lifshitz, who spent two weeks in the captivity of Hamas, said that when she was abducted, she was sleeping on a mattress on the floor in one of the tunnels with other hostages.