The strategy that caught Israel off guard when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, launched a devastating attack. They unleashed an unconventional force armed with bulldozers, hang gliders, and motorbikes, taking on the Middle East's most formidable military power.
This Saturday assault marked the most significant breach in Israel's defenses since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. But here's the kicker: Hamas had been plotting this for two long years, shrouding their military plans in secrecy and convincing Israel that they had no appetite for a showdown.
While Israel thought they were keeping Hamas in check by offering economic incentives to Gazan workers, the truth was quite the opposite.
In plain sight, Hamas was
diligently training and drilling its fighters. Israel was led to believe it was
containing a war-weary Hamas by providing economic incentives to Gazan workers,
the group's fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight, a
source close to Hamas said.
This source
provided many of the details for the account of the attack and its buildup that
has been pieced together by Reuters. Three sources within Israel's security
establishment, who like others asked not to be identified, also contributed to
this account.
"Hamas
gave Israel the impression that it was not ready for a fight," said the
source close to Hamas, describing plans for the most startling assault since
the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago when Egypt and Syria surprised Israel and made
it fight for its survival.
"Hamas
used an unprecedented intelligence tactic to mislead Israel over the last
months, by giving a public impression that it was not willing to go into a
fight or confrontation with Israel while preparing for this massive
operation," the source said.
Israel had to
admit it: they were taken completely by surprise. The attack was perfectly
timed to coincide with the Jewish Sabbath and a religious holiday. Hamas
fighters swarmed into Israeli towns, causing havoc by taking the lives of 700
Israelis and abducting dozens. In retaliation, Israel struck Gaza, resulting in
the deaths of over 400 Palestinians.
"They Got Us"
Major Nir
Dinar, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces, summed it up bluntly,
comparing it to their 9/11 moment: "They got us." Hamas had
blindsided them, coming in swiftly from multiple directions - air, ground, and
sea.
Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, pointed out a crucial message from the attack: Palestinians were determined to achieve their goals, regardless of Israel's military might and capabilities.
This event showed the world that even
in the face of overwhelming power, determination and deception could turn the
tide of a conflict.
'UNTIL THEY RAN RIOT'
In one of the most striking elements of their preparations, Hamas went on by constructing a mock Israeli settlement right there in Gaza. They used it as a training ground for military landings and storming operations.
What's even more astonishing is that they recorded videos of these maneuvers for good measure, as disclosed by our trusty source close to Hamas.
Now, this is
might surprising that the Israel did not notice this going on right under their
noses? Well, they did observe these activities, but Hamas had them firmly
convinced that they weren't itching for a confrontation.
According to
the source, "Israel surely saw them but they were convinced that Hamas
wasn't keen on getting into a confrontation."
Meanwhile,
Hamas was busy trying to persuade Israel that their top priority was ensuring
that the people of Gaza, a densely populated strip of land with over two
million residents, had job opportunities across the border. They wanted Israel
to believe that they had no interest in sparking a new war.
"Hamas was
able to build a whole image that it was not ready for a military adventure
against Israel," the source said.
The source close to Hamas emphasized that they built an entire facade, portraying themselves as uninterested in a military adventure against Israel. It was all about projecting an image of peace and stability.
Now, let's talk about what Israel did in response. After a conflict with Hamas in 2021, they decided to offer a basic level of economic stability to Gaza.
How did they do it? By providing incentives, including thousands of permits that allowed Gazans to work in Israel or the West Bank. These jobs offered salaries in construction, agriculture, or service industries that were ten times higher than what could be earned in Gaza.
But here's the
kicker – Israel genuinely believed that by allowing Gazans to work and bring
money back into Gaza, it would lead to a certain level of calm. Unfortunately,
they couldn't have been more wrong, as another Israeli army spokesperson
admitted.
"We
believed that the fact that they were coming in to work and bringing money into
Gaza would create a certain level of calm. We were wrong," Israeli army
spokesperson said.
An Israeli security source acknowledged Israel's security services were duped by Hamas. "They caused us to think they wanted money," the source said. "And all the time they were involved in exercises/drills until they ran riot."
Even their security services were left red-faced by Hamas. They openly acknowledged that Hamas had managed to mislead them. They made Israel think it was all about the money, all the while engaging in extensive exercises and drills, getting ready for the unexpected.
As part of
their elaborate deception over the past two years, Hamas refrained from
launching military operations against Israel, even as another Gaza-based
Islamist group, Islamic Jihad, went ahead with a series of assaults and rocket
attacks of their own. It's like a chess match with high stakes and
unpredictable moves, and Hamas played it brilliantly.
NO INKLING
Hamas's display of restraint didn't sit well with some of their supporters, leading to public criticism. This strategic move was aimed at solidifying the impression that Hamas was preoccupied with economic concerns rather than harboring thoughts of a new war, according to our insider source.
Over in the West Bank, which is under the control of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah group, there were those who couldn't resist poking fun at Hamas for their sudden silence.
In fact, in a statement published by Fatah in June 2022, they accused Hamas leaders of jetting off to luxurious hotels and villas in Arab capitals, leaving their own people in Gaza struggling with poverty.
Now, here's where things get interesting. According to a second Israeli security source, there was a period when Israel genuinely believed that Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar, was more focused on managing Gaza's affairs than anything else, including what they called "killing Jews."
During this time, Israel shifted its attention away from Hamas as it actively pursued a deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.
Israel has always taken pride in its ability to infiltrate and keep tabs on Islamist groups. Consequently, as our source close to Hamas revealed, a critical part of their plan was to avoid any leaks.
To maintain secrecy, many Hamas leaders were kept in the dark about the grand scheme. Even the 1,000 fighters involved in the assault, while undergoing training, had no inkling of the exact purpose of their exercises.
When the fateful day arrived, the operation was carefully divided into four distinct parts, as explained by our Hamas source. The first move involved launching a staggering 3,000 rockets from Gaza, perfectly synchronized with incursions by fighters who utilized hang gliders and motorized paragliders to cross the border.
It's worth noting that Israel had previously stated that 2,500 rockets were fired initially.
Once these daring fighters on hang-gliders touched down on the ground, they secured the terrain, allowing an elite commando unit to storm the fortified electronic and cement wall erected by Israel to prevent infiltration.
Explosives came into play to breach these barriers, and then they swiftly moved across on motorbikes.
Bulldozers came in to widen the gaps, and more fighters entered the
scene in four-wheel drives. Witnesses described these scenes as nothing short
of incredible.
'HUGE FAILURE'
In the next phase of this audacious operation, a commando unit executed a daring attack on the Israeli army's southern Gaza headquarters. Their mission was twofold: they not only targeted the facility but also jammed its communications systems, effectively cutting off personnel from communicating with their commanders or each other.
It was a strategic move that plunged the Israeli forces into chaos,
as disclosed by our well-informed source.
As the operation reached its final stages, the focus shifted towards moving hostages into Gaza. This goal was mostly achieved early on in the attack, as reported by our trusted source close to Hamas.
One highly publicized hostage-taking incident involved fighters seizing party-goers who were fleeing a rave near the kibbutz of Re'im, near Gaza. Social media was abuzz with footage showing dozens of people frantically running through fields and along a road, all while gunshots echoed in the background. The Israeli security source couldn't help but question, "How could this party happen so close to Gaza?" It was a testament to the audacity of Hamas's operation.
The Israeli security source also revealed a critical detail – the Israeli troops in the south, near Gaza, were not at full strength. Some had been redeployed to the West Bank to protect Israeli settlers in the midst of escalating violence between them and Palestinian militants. Hamas seized this opportunity and exploited it to the fullest.
Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator currently affiliated with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, chimed in, highlighting how Israel had been preoccupied with the violence unfolding in the West Bank. This distraction led to a "thin, under-prepared presence in the south," he remarked. According to him, Hamas had likely achieved more than they initially expected. He also noted that Israel was now determined to deal a severe blow to the militant group.
Retired General Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't mince words either. He called the assault a "huge failure of the intelligence system and the military apparatus in the south." Amidror, who currently serves as a senior fellow with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, pointed out that some of Israel's allies had been suggesting that Hamas had become more responsible.
Regrettably, he admitted, Israel had started to believe in this notion. But
now, they were resolute about not repeating that mistake and were committed to
slowly but surely dismantling Hamas.
"We
stupidly began to believe that it was true," he said. "So, we made a
mistake. We are not going to make this mistake again and we will destroy Hamas,
slowly but surely."
(Courtesy: Reuters)
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