Report: Israel had Hamas attack plans for a long time
According to a report in the New York Times, Israel had evidence of a planned major attack by the Islamist group Hamas more than a year before October 7. According to the report, there was an extensive exchange between Israeli authorities on a 40-page document codenamed "Jericho Wall", which outlined a Hamas battle plan. This is said to have resembled in every detail the attack that Hamas terrorists then carried out from the Gaza Strip at the beginning of October, the US newspaper reported.
According to the report, the draft had already come into the hands of Israeli authorities "last year" - more than a year before the attack - and then circulated in military and intelligence circles. However, it was ultimately dismissed by the experts as too ambitious and difficult for Hamas to execute.
The document, which according to the newspaper was translated, did not contain a date for an attack, but described a precise methodical assault to overcome the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, capture Israeli towns and storm important military bases, including a division headquarters.
According to the document, the plan included rocket fire at the beginning, drones to disable surveillance cameras and automatic cannons along the border, and fighters invading Israel en masse by parachute, motorcycle or on foot - a plan that Hamas ultimately followed "with terrifying precision", as the newspaper wrote.
Intelligence analyst issued an additional warning
Three months before the actual attack, according to emails seen by the New York Times, an intelligence analyst from the decoding unit warned that Hamas had undergone training that closely resembled the "Jericho Wall" document. "I strongly disagree that the scenario is imaginary," she wrote to an army colonel in the Gaza unit. "It is a plan designed to start a war. It's not just a raid on a village."
But the military colleague stood by his assessment that Hamas was incapable of actually carrying out such a comprehensive plan. "In short, let's wait patiently," was his response.
"There is no doubt that the October 7 attack was a failure on our part. Of course it was a failure," Israeli government spokeswoman Tal Heinrich told the US broadcaster CNN. Israel will investigate what happened in detail and learn from it.
When asked to what extent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew about the attack scenario or had read the documents, Heinrich said: "We will investigate. The Prime Minister has also spoken about this. When the time is right, he will say more."
- Despite the intelligence indicating a Hamas attack plan similar to the "Jericho Wall" document, the Israeli military dismissed it as too ambitious and difficult to execute, failing to take adequate precautions before the actual conflict in Gaza.
- The outbreak of terrorism in the Middle East, such as the Hamas attack on October 7, often originates from detailed plans like the "Jericho Wall" document, which had been in Israeli authorities' possession a year prior but was disregarded as implausible.
- The Hamas terror group, despite being known for conflicts and wars in the Middle East, surprisingly executed the terrifyingly precise attack plan outlined in the 'Jericho Wall' document, with rocket fire, drone strikes, and large-scale infiltration, leading to significant conflict in Gaza.
Source: www.dpa.com
