Israeli intelligence services analyze documents found on Hamas militants. Detailed sketches of attack targets, weapons lists and timelines show “years of planning.”
Hamas planned the cruel and large-scale attack on Israel for years and in great detail. According to the Israeli secret services, this emerges from data and documents that were confiscated after October 7th. Exact sketches of attack targets, lists of weapons and timelines were found among killed or captured fighters of the Palestinian radical Islamic organization.
“The level of detail and preparation was what surprised us the most,” an intelligence official told reporters. Two anonymous service representatives reported the findings at a press conference. The aim of the attack was “to trigger a shock that would break people”.
Data from cell phones, computers, tablets, GPS devices, GoPro cameras, maps and notebooks “showed years of planning for attacks on bases and kibbutzim,” one of the intelligence officials said.
Reactivated Intelligence Unit
To analyze the material, Israel reactivated a military intelligence unit called Amshat. She combed through numerous Arabic documents and deciphered millions of electronic data. This resulted in a real “battle plan”, said one officer. The Amshat unit was founded after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and has been reactivated several times since then.
Analysts discovered detailed tactical plans on computers that not only described the targets but also the names of the units involved and their tasks, with details of the attack including the timing and a list of weapons required.
Investigators also found a detailed hand drawing of the military outpost of Nahal Oz, which Hamas captured during the attack. From the bodies of dead Hamas fighters, they recovered satellite photos and exact maps of two of the kibbutzim that were attacked.
Media reports after October 7 speculated that Palestinian workers and Israeli Arabs might have helped produce detailed maps of the kibbutz. It is still unclear how the information about the military posts reached Hamas.
How do you kidnap people?
“Part of the training (for the attack) was how to take hostages,” officers said. “Checklists” and “phrasebooks” for the kidnappings were found. The instructions, seen by the AFP news agency, recommend that fighters blindfold and tie the hands of all adult hostages.
Kidnappers were supposed to “kill those who cause trouble or try to escape.” One guide lists about 50 Hebrew phrases in phonetic transcription, such as “be still,” “don’t move,” “lie down,” and “hands up.”
The Israeli secret services knew about the plans, but did not react
The New York Times reported on December 1 that Israeli intelligence had obtained a plan from Hamas more than a year ago that outlined a step-by-step attack similar to the one on October 7. However, the secret services classified this scenario as unrealistic.
To their surprise, the intelligence agency also found some documents that had nothing to do with the October 7 attack, including some that would be considered of high military value. A detailed map of the southern Gaza Strip has been discovered, showing previously unknown Hamas military installations, one of the officials said. “Some of the Hamas fighters were left in the dark and did not know what was going to happen. Many of them had things that were not relevant to this attack.”
According to the information, Amshat also obtained photos of tunnels in the Gaza Strip – which route the police left open. The images showed long corridors reinforced with concrete and metal, wide and tall enough for vehicles. One of the intelligence officers said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if there were more than 500 kilometers of deep, interconnected tunnels in total. “Imagine how many hostages can fit in there.”
Israel wants to destroy Hamas
On October 7, hundreds of fighters from Hamas and allied groups from the Gaza Strip broke through the Israeli barriers. They attacked kibbutzim and a music festival in southern Israel and, according to Israeli sources, killed around 1,200 people and took around 240 hostages.
Since then, Israel has attacked targets in the Gaza Strip from the air and on land. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, more than 16,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed as a result. Information about victims cannot be independently verified. (APA/AFP)