7th October, 2023

Papers found in Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have exposed the long-planned terror attack carried out by HAMAS on 7th October, 2023. Preparations started in 2021 after the IDF destroyed the HAMAS-tunnel infrastructure.

The Hamas operation, culminating in the October 7, 2023 attack, was conceived as a “decisive campaign” against Israel following the May 2021 operation “Guardian of the Walls,” which Hamas leaders viewed as a strategic victory. Originally referred to in internal communications as “The Promise of the Hereafter” or “The Promise of the Second Time,” the plan aimed to achieve a complete strategic shift on the ground by establishing prolonged physical control over IDF bases, command centers, and communities.

To ensure the success of this surprise offensive, Hamas leaders—primarily Yahya al-Sinwar and Muhammad Deif—implemented a highly sophisticated, multi-year strategic deception plan:

• Tactical Containment: Hamas deliberately avoided direct participation in several armed clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to create the false impression that it was deterred and sought to preserve quiet in the Gaza Strip.
• Economic Relief Focus: Hamas fostered the illusion of prioritizing the economic welfare of Gaza, actively accepting Qatari financial aid and negotiating economic concessions with Israel, which Israeli security establishments mistook for a shift toward pragmatism.
• Public Military Drills: Hamas conducted highly publicized joint military exercises (the “Strong Pillar” series) simulating the invasion of Israeli territory, the capture of military outposts, and the abduction of soldiers. By performing these drills openly, they successfully convinced Israeli intelligence that the activities were merely defensive “routine training” or political showmanship.
• Border Demonstrations: In the weeks leading up to the attack, Hamas organized controlled border riots under the guise of demanding economic relief. In reality, these demonstrations were used to test IDF response times, identify physical weaknesses in the border fence, and establish a routine presence near the barrier to mask final preparations.

Operational Compartmentalization and Secrecy To prevent Israeli intelligence from uncovering the plot, Hamas maintained strict secrecy. Only a highly restricted inner circle of decision-makers in Gaza knew the exact date and details of the invasion. Even senior political bureau figures abroad, other Palestinian factions in Gaza, and regional allies like Hezbollah and Iran were deliberately kept in the dark about the exact timing (“zero hour”) until the final minutes of the operation.

Execution of the Attack On October 7, 2023, Hamas bypassed and overwhelmed Israel’s advanced border barrier. Breaching the border fence at multiple sectors, the militants entered Israeli territory using motorized gliders, paragliders, and bulldozers. The assault targeted military bases, outposts, and civilian communities (kibbutzim).

A central pillar of the plan written by al-Sinwar was psychological warfare. Hamas operatives were explicitly instructed to carry out and document horrific atrocities—including the mass slaughter of civilians, desecration of corpses, burning of residential areas, and systematic sexual violence—to be broadcast in real-time to terrorize the Israeli public and demoralize the state.

srael’s strategic failure prior to the October 7, 2023, attack was deeply rooted in a rigid analytical assumption that Hamas was thoroughly deterred and lacked the capability to launch a major offensive after Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. This deep-seated confirmation bias blinded the Israeli security establishment to Hamas’s overt and public preparations for the invasion.

Here you have an explanatory video of the operation. Enjoy.