A newly surfaced document has revealed that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and intelligence systems had detailed knowledge of Hamas's plan to raid Israel and kidnap 250 people weeks before the October 7 massacre.
The document, which was compiled in the Gaza Division, outlined Hamas's intentions and was known to top intelligence officials, according to a report by Kan News.
The document, titled "Detailed End-to-End Raid Training," was distributed on September 19, 2023, and described in detail the series of exercises conducted by Hamas's elite units.
These exercises included raiding military posts and kibbutzim (collective communities in Israel), kidnapping soldiers and civilians, and maintaining the hostages once they were in the Gaza Strip.
The report by Kan News stated, "Security sources told Kan News that the document was known to the intelligence leadership, at the very least in the Gaza Division."
The document's revelations came in the wake of widespread criticism over the failure to anticipate and prevent the October 7 attack, which resulted in significant casualties and hostages.
Warning signs were not acted upon
The IDF had precise information about Hamas's intentions, but due to prevailing conceptions within the security establishment and possible negligence by senior officials, the warning signs were not acted upon.
The report further detailed that Israeli intelligence officials monitored the exercise and documented the steps Hamas planned to take after breaching Israeli territory and taking over military posts. The expected number of hostages, according to the document, was between 200 and 250 people.
"Israeli intelligence officials who monitored the exercise detailed in the document the next steps after breaching into Israel and taking over the posts, determining that the instruction is to hand over the captured soldiers to the company commanders. The expected number of hostages, it states, is between 200 and 250 people," Kan News reported.
This information, combined with a new and sophisticated security barrier completed two years before the attack, was believed to have made such an assault improbable. However, the barrier failed during the Hamas attack, highlighting a significant intelligence and security oversight.
The general staff investigation team is expected to present initial findings from this failure to the Chief of Staff in the coming weeks, as the country seeks to understand how such a lapse in security could occur despite having detailed advance knowledge of the enemy's plans.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 when Hamas launched an attack, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking more than 240 hostages into the Gaza Strip.
During the massacre, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across the Gaza border communities.
120 hostages still remain in Gaza captivity.