One month after the start of Israel's war against Hamas, The Guardian released a report explaining who was in charge of the October 7 attack, how the massacres were organized, and what the terrorists viewed as their endgame. It appears that those executing the atrocities only learned about their commanders' plan within hours before crossing the Gaza-Israel border.
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The investigation is based on multiple sources including conversations with Israeli intelligence officials, experts, "sources with direct knowledge of interrogation reports of Hamas fighters captured during the attacks," and material issued by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas.
The terrorists are said to have been split into units and given separate targets: "a military base, a kibbutz, a road or a town." Some orders reportedly had maps detailing the key locations based" on information derived from sympathizers working in Israel, the sources claim," said the investigation.
Video: PM of Thailand says Thai hostages held by Hamas are alive / Credit: Reuters
The Nova music festival massacre that resulted in the killing of at least 260 people and many kidnappings is not considered to be a part of Hamas's initial plan.
Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Mohammed Deif, a commander of al-Qassam brigades and the elite Nukhba squads, are believed to be the key figures behind the October 7 attack. The Hamas political leadership overseas as well as its sponsors in Iran were reportedly not informed about the details of the operation but could have had some awareness of the plan.
"He's 1,000% committed and 1,000% violent," the report cited a former Israeli interrogator who worked at the institution where Sinwar was held. Sinwar's prison experience could lie at the heart of the mass kidnapping plan as the only way to free the Palestinian prisoners from Israel.
Hamas has reportedly blamed a lot of the violence against civilians including rape and torture on the alleged "criminals" who followed the terrorists. However, The Guardian cited the IDF's interview with a captured Hamas attacker who acknowledged that the "mission was to kill … anyone we saw" and admitted having shot children.
According to the report, there were also defensive units that focused on retaliating IDF's efforts, "often with ambushes on key roads." Another set of units is said to have been ordered to capture as many hostages as possible and to bring them to the designated fighters waiting at the fence. The latter would take the abductees to the Gazan tunnels system.
The IDF stated that it took Hamas between 12 and 18 months to plan the attack. Hamas claims that the preparation started two years ago with another escalation around Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque.
The report cited analysts believing that the goal of the October 7 attack could include "halting efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, further undermining the Palestinian Authority, distracting from Hamas's failure to deliver services or break the blockade of Gaza, and provoking a violent reaction from Israel that would mobilize its supporters in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere."
Hamas is said to have been surprised by the success of its attack. An Israeli official told The Guardian that "the slow response of Israeli forces" allowed terrorists to make several trips into Israel to seize more hostages.
"There is no evidence that Hamas hoped to hold territory or spark a wider insurrection, though some were told to fight to the end." However, according to the report, some terrorists gave themselves up and have been a useful source of intelligence for Israel.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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