Hamas leaders planned October 7th massacre since 2014

The precise date of the October 7th massacre was kept from everyone but five leading Hamas ‘partners in secrecy.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Since 2014, Hamas leaders trained terrorist troops without providing any information on what kind of mission they were training for, according to Arab sources.

The London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat cited sources close to the military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigade, that the purpose of the training was known only to 70 members of its elite Nukhba unit.

However, the precise date of October 7th was kept a secret from everyone but the three terror masterminds behind the massacre–Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammed as well as Mohammed Deif and two other Hamas senior officials.

The five “partners in secrecy” decided that Saturday morning was the best time for the attack after reports from surveillance showed “absolute quiet on the border.”

Just three days before the attack, Hamas leaders briefed Al-Qassam Brigade commanders to ensure the equipment and troops were ready but didn’t disclose details about its exact timing.

During the meetings with commanders, each one was given specific tasks, but none of them were given the context or the full operational plans.

The decision to launch missiles during the invasion was intended to confuse the IDF and divert military attention from the massacre in the kibbutzim.

Even Hamas senior members Ismail Haniyeh and his deputy the recently killed Saleh al-Arouri were made aware of the plan to attack southern communities but were informed of the timing only hours before the invasion.

According to the report, Hamas began planning and preparing terrorist troops for the attack in 2014, but with Operation Protective Edge, the plan was put on hold only to be resumed in 2021.

In the ensuing years, terrorist troops were trained and tested to determine their level of combat skills, strength, and aggressiveness.

They made an oath not to disclose any information about the nature of their training.

Hamas relied on heavily compartmentalizing all information to avoid leaks to Israeli intelligence.