Documents outlining Hamas’ battle plan were obtained by Israeli officials more than a year before the October 7 terrorist attack, but were dismissed as being too ‘aspirational,’ reports The New Times.
It was however unclear whether, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or any top political leaders saw the document before the attack.
The 40-page document (codenamed “Jericho Wall” by Israeli authorities), reviewed by the New York Times, described the assault design and how it will overwhelm the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities, and destroy her military bases.
Apart from these, the documents showed in detail, according to the New York Times, “the location and size of Israeli military forces, communication hubs, and other sensitive information” thus raising questions about how Hamas gathered its intelligence.
There are also questions about why the warning by an official of Israel signals intelligence three months before the attack, was ignored.
However, it is believed that Israel had mistook Hamas’ request for permits to allow Palestinians to work in Israel as an extended hand of peace.
Now, what could have been an intelligence coup turned into one of the worst miscalculations in Israel’s 75-year history.