October 7: Hamas internal document reveals planning behind attack on Israel
The authors explicitly recommended that Hamas prepare an initial “unexpected” strike to break conventional patterns and create uncertainty among Israeli leadership.
A recently uncovered internal Hamas intelligence document played a key role in the planning of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, one of the deadliest in the country’s history.
Published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, the document provides insight into the strategic thinking of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
Written less than a month before the attack and discovered by the IDF during the “Operation Iron Sword” campaign in the Gaza Strip, the analysis concluded that Israel had largely abandoned efforts to decisively overthrow Hamas. Instead, the document noted, Israel shifted toward limited confrontations aimed at conflict management and maintaining fragile deterrence.
The text reviews past operations, including “Operation Cast Lead” (2008-2009), seen by Hamas as a strategic failure for Israel, and “Operation Guardian of the Walls” (2021), which Hamas described as a “psychological victory.”
It emphasizes the movement’s ability to link Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank to provoke broader Arab mobilization.
A central insight of the document is Israel’s fear of a multi-front war, particularly simultaneous conflict with both Hamas and Hezbollah. Based on this, the authors explicitly recommended that Hamas prepare an initial “unexpected” strike to break conventional patterns and create uncertainty among Israeli leadership.
Presented to Hamas military leaders, the document served as the intellectual and operational blueprint for the October 7 attack, underscoring its premeditated, strategic, and ideological nature.