NYT: Israel learned about the planned Hamas attack a year ago

The Israeli military knew about the plans of the Palestinian Hamas movement to attack the country’s cities a year ago. According to The New York Times, representatives of the Israeli army and intelligence intercepted documents and emails.

However, they did not believe that this plan was real because it was too ambitious, the publication claims.

The media writes that the Israeli military received a 40-page document with a full description of the planned attack on Israeli territory, which included mention of rocket fire, the use of drones to disable surveillance cameras, and the operation of automatic machine guns along the border. The document did not contain the exact date of the attack, but described it in detail. At the same time, Hamas fighters followed this plan with precision, the publication notes.

It is also emphasized that, having studied the material last year, the Israeli military reported that Hamas’s intentions were “unclear,” while the army did not respond to reports that the militants were conducting exercises three months before the attack.

Let us recall that the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 after rocket attacks by the radical Palestinian movement on Israeli territory and the capture of a number of settlements bordering the Gaza Strip. It was reported that more than 1,400 Israelis were killed, most of them civilians. Hamas militants also took a large number of hostages. In response, the Israeli authorities blockaded the Gaza Strip and continue bombing the enclave. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 12,000 people have been killed in the strip since Israeli bombing began. According to WHO, 40% of the dead were children. Negotiations are underway for the release of the hostages – some of them have already left the sector.