Two weeks after the October 7 massacre, it is not yet time for the Jewish state to reconstruct the chain of errors that led to the worst attack on Jews since the Shoah. However, Israel is already wondering how its enemies managed to hide their death plans and move the government Benjamin Netanyahu to lower your guard. And now the worrying question arises: what “surprises” it still has in store Hamas for the Israeli army preparing to start the ground operation Gaza Strip?
On October 7, the Islamists used weapons already known to the Israelis, but Tel Aviv fears that the terrorists hiding in the tunnels, the so-called “Gaza Metro,” are waiting for Tsahal forces to enter the Gaza Strip to reveal their actions secret arsenal. The nightmare for Israel is underwater drones that could attack ports, ships and oil platforms.
In 2016 the MossadIsraeli intelligence, in an unrecognized mission, killed Mohamed Zouari in Tunisia, an aerospace engineer known to be responsible for Hamas’ unmanned aircraft program. At the time of his murder, Zouari was working in construction Underwater drones but his death does not put an end to his project. In fact, in 2021, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted and destroyed a drone of this type as it left a beach in Gaza. The success of the operation raises suspicions among the armed forces that Hamas could count on other technologically advanced weapons that have not yet been used against the Israelis. Zouari’s legacy, on the other hand, was also evident in the October 7 attack, when the Islamist group confirmed the use of 35 explosive and unmanned aircraft built according to the engineer’s designs.
Then there are other weapons that worry Tel Aviv: precision-guided munitions that can hit over long distances and bombs planted along streets. The latter in particular would be an improved version of the mines that caused hundreds of deaths and injuries among Americans and others in Iraq and Afghanistan. These instruments of war represent theIranmajor supporter in the region of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Houthis and other groups hostile to the United States and Israel. A leaked intelligence report from Washington earlier this year said militants in Syria had been “instructed” by experts in Tehran to build armor-piercing bombs that could cause fatal damage to tank armor at a distance of 20 meters.
Iran has reportedly provided $100 million in military support, high-tech training and know-how transfer to Hamas and its allies, as well as providing them with prototype rockets, missiles and drones. Thanks to Iranian technology, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip then set up structures used underground to the construction of rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Washington and Tel Aviv, explosives and electronic components were introduced into the Gaza Strip by sea or through tunnels.
The new deadly “surprise”. That Hamas could be reserved for Tsahal forces has a precedent that the Israelis have not forgotten. In 2006, Tel Aviv was unaware of Hezbollah’s ability to attack off the Lebanese coast and was shocked by the Shiite movement’s missile attack on the corvette INS Hanit, in which four crew members lost their lives.
“It is very likely that Hamas has capabilities that we have not seen yet, but that we may soon see,” Fabian Hinz, a defense expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Washington Post. The Islamist militants would therefore wait for the escalation of the ongoing conflict to show all their cards in what could be their final battle.