A report in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper revealed new details about Hamas’s diabolical plan to infiltrate and attack Israel, including the fact that an October 7th-style massacre was considered even before Operation Protective Edge in 2014 but was put on hold following the war. The report is based on sources close to senior officials of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing. Two years ago, Hamas leaders decided to begin preparing to carry out the satanic plan. Thousands of terrorists began undergoing specialized military training and screening tests to hone their brutality. All terrorists were sworn to secrecy about their training and only 70 Nukba terrorists, selected from hundreds of elite Nukba members, were aware that a mass terror attack was being planned but were also not informed of its details or timing. Only five senior Hamas senior officials were involved in the decision to carry out the attack and its timing – Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammad, the head of Hamas’s military wing Mohammad Deif, and two other senior figures. Several days before the attack, Hamas battalion commanders were informed of the plan for the massacre and its logistical preparations – but were not told when it would be executed. Another meeting was then held with commanders of regional brigades, who were assigned operational directives but were also not told the exact details of the plan, including the date. According to the sources, the five Hamas leaders reached the decision to launch the attack on October 7th after receiving reports that the border area was quiet. On Hoshanah Rabah, Friday, October 6th, they made a final decision to execute the attack on Shabbos/Simchas Torah morning, with Shabbos deemed the most appropriate time to attack as fewer troops are stationed on the border. They waited until midnight and issued directives to the commanders to prepare to execute the attack at dawn on Shabbos morning. On October 7th, the Nakbah commanders launched the diabolical plan, leading the terrorists into Israel, while at the same time, the head of Hamas’s rocket fire system, Ayman Siam, directed the launches of hundreds of long-range missiles at Israel to divert the IDF’s attention. [Siam was eliminated by the IDF in November.] The 70 Nukba terrorists led the attack, infiltrating the Gazan border from several areas by blowing up weak points on the security fence with explosive devices, using gliders and parachutes to infiltrate areas near IDF positions, and launching a naval attack. Senior Hamas officials abroad, including Hamas’ political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and his deputy Saleh al-Arouri, were aware of a general plan for an unprecedented attack but only learned about its execution just hours before it began—at the same time as lower-level Hamas officials. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)