Newly uncovered documents from Israeli army reveal unprecedented details of Palestinian resistance group's plans to raid Israeli military and settlements, including orders to take between 200-250 hostages, according to Israel's public broadcaster.
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Hamas fighters overwhelmed Israeli defences during the October 7 raid in southern Israel. / Photo: AA
Israeli military intelligence possessed advanced knowledge of an imminent Hamas raid on October 7 but chose not to act on it, according to Israel's public broadcaster.
Kan says that the intelligence brief, prepared by Unit 8200 [an Israeli Intelligence Corps] in mid-September, outlined Hamas' meticulous preparations for the surprise blitz, including training elite fighters for hostage-taking operations and planning raids on communities in the southern region.
The brief specifically noted Hamas' intention to seize between 200 to 250 hostages. The fighters later took 251 people hostage, 116 of whom remain in Gaza including 41 the Israeli army says are dead, many of them in indiscriminate Israeli strikes.
The document, titled "Detailed End-to-End Raid Training," notes a description of a series of exercises conducted by Hamas' elite Nukhba unit in the weeks before its publication.
"At 11 A.M., several companies were observed converging at the beginning of the training sessions, not before prayer and lunch," the memo says.
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The daring Hamas raid on Israel and Tel Aviv's full-scale war on Gaza are being viewed as a cataclysmic event in the Middle East with far-reaching global implications.
Pre-emptive action not taken
Despite the dissemination of this critical intelligence to senior military officials, decisive preemptive actions were not implemented.
Critics argue that had the warnings been acted upon effectively, the devastating toll of the raid might have been mitigated.
The document shared with Kan by a military source further notes: "At 12 P.M., equipment and weapons were distributed" to Hamas fighters which was followed by "an exercise of the company's headquarters." Eventually "at 2 P.M. the raid began."
The Nukhba units were given an order that was highlighted: Search the area when you leave and leave no documents behind, per the memo.
The revelation has ignited debates over the efficacy of Israel's intelligence assessment and the decision-making processes during heightened security threats.
Delaying formal inquiry
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to defer any formal inquiry until after the ongoing conflict, now in its ninth month, has underscored the political sensitivities and complexities involved in addressing the aftermath of the attack.
Meanwhile, Israel's continued ruthless war in Gaza have heightened tensions in the region, further intensifying the scrutiny on the handling of intelligence and security policies.
More than 37,372 Palestinians — majority of them women, children and infants –– have been killed in Israeli bombing and shelling. Close to 85,452 people have been wounded. Thousands of bodies are reportedly lying under the rubble of bombed out homes.
Around 85 percent of Gaza's 2.4 million people have fled their homes. Severe hunger is widespread, and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.
The unfolding situation highlights broader implications for Israel's military strategy, national security protocols, and the accountability of leadership during a period of heightened security threats and conflict.
Hamas says its October 7 offensive against Israel was in retaliation for continued Israeli assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque, violence by illegal Zionist settlers in the occupied West Bank, and to bring the Palestinian cause back into international focus.
In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas fighters rolled into as many as 22 locations outside Gaza, including towns and other communities as far as 24 kilometres from the Gaza fence.
At some places they are said to have gunned down many soldiers as Israel's military scrambled to muster response.
The hours-long attack and Israeli military's haphazard response including controversial Hannibal Directive resulted in the killing of more than 1,130 people, Israeli officials and local media say.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
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