Israeli military officials have reported the discovery of a USB key containing instructions for crafting a “cyanide dispersion device” on a Hamas operative who was involved in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Axios reports. The information was disclosed by two Israeli officials and was further corroborated by a classified cable from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that Axios managed to obtain. While the specific file did not offer insight on whether Hamas intended to operationalize such chemical weapons or if they had previously attempted their production, the gravity of the potential threat is significant. Under the title “Hamas intention of using chemical weapons,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s weapons of mass destruction non-proliferation department dispatched the classified cable to several Israeli embassies across the globe, including the one in Washington. Although Axios could not independently verify the legitimacy of the file linked to Hamas, Israeli officials have expressed confidence in its authenticity, emphasizing they wouldn’t distribute such data to their allies unless they believed it to be genuine. Further investigations by Israeli intelligence have linked the document’s origins to a manual from Al-Qaeda dated 2003, as indicated in the cable. The ministry’s communication strongly suggests, “This finding points to an intention by Hamas to use chemical weapons as part of its terror attack against civilians.” The directive from the Israeli Foreign Ministry further instructed its overseas representatives to discreetly share the file and an English summary with their host governments, emphasizing the importance of not publicizing it. Diplomats were advised to communicate the seriousness of Hamas’s intentions, drawing parallels with tactics previously tried by ISIS. In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 incident, Israel has released numerous documents it claims were sourced from deceased Hamas attackers. Some of these classified as “Top Secret” by Hamas purportedly contain detailed plans to assault Israeli settlements and military bases near the border, with explicit directives to maximize casualties and abduct hostages to Gaza. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)