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Israeli officials ignored Hamas invasion plans a year before October 7 – report

Hamas’ plans included elements that were all used on October 7th, but the Israelis considered the plans too ambitious and beyond the scope of Hamas’ military.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel officials gained access to a Hamas’ battle plan for the October 7th massacre more than a year ago but dismissed it as too “aspirational” to be carried out, according to a report by The New York Times.

Israeli intelligence obtained a 40-page document detailing the prospective attack and code-named it “Jericho Wall.” The plan included elements that were all used on October 7th, but the Israelis considered the plans too ambitious and beyond the scope of Hamas’ military.

Although a date wasn’t set, the plans reflected the reality on the ground on October 7th–including rockets, drones to knock out security cameras, automated machine guns, paragliders, motorcyclists, and thousands of terrorist gunmen infiltrating the border into Israeli towns and cities.

The information about Israeli military and security locations and communications was so detailed that the Israeli military wondered if there had been a leak from within.

Although the document Jericho Wall was circulated among the Israeli security establishment, it is uncertain whether it was shared with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Upon reviewing the document, despite its detailed plans, the Israeli military Gaza division said that Hamas’ intentions were “unclear.”

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“It is not yet possible to determine whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be manifested.”

In July, Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence agency, warned that Hamas was involved in extensive military exercises similar to those outlined in Jericho Wall. Still, a Colonel in the Gaza division dismissed these concerns.

Officials admit that if Israel’s military had taken this report and the alerts seriously, the October 7th massacre could have been minimized or prevented entirely.

One of the reasons the military dismissed these reports was based on a faulty notion that Hamas had an underdeveloped military force. However, there had been evidence that it was building its military capabilities and number of troops.

In addition to the Jericho Wall report, months before the October 7th massacre, IDF lookouts warned commanders about unusual activity, but these warnings fell on deaf ears.

When lookouts reported unusual training exercises and noticed Hamas terrorists getting closer to the security fence, their commanders either dismissed their concerns or in one case, threatened with disciplinary action.

According to one lookout, the commander said, “I don’t want to hear again about this nonsense. If you all bother us again with these things, you’ll be court-martialed.”

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The Israeli government has said it will set up a commission to investigate missteps that led up to the October 7th massacre, the bloodiest day and possibly the most tragic miscalculation in Israel’s history.