HAMAS TRIED TO PERSUADE IRAN AND HEZBOLLAH TO JOIN ITS OCTOBER 7 ATTACK ON ISRAEL, SAYS REPORT

Sun 13 October 2024:

Hamas tried to persuade its two allies, Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, to join its October 7, 2023, attack against Israel or at least commit to a broader fight if the Palestinian militant group staged a surprise cross-border raid, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Saturday, citing the minutes of Hamas’ secret meetings seized by the Israeli military.

The report said that the documents showed extensive efforts to deceive Israel about its intentions as Hamas laid the groundwork for a bold assault and a regional conflagration that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar hoped would cause Israel to “collapse.”

The documents consist of minutes from 10 secret planning meetings of a small group of Hamas political and military leaders in the run-up to the attack.

Hamas planned to attack in fall of 2022

The documents showed that Hamas initially planned to carry out its attack on Israel in the fall of 2022 but delayed it as the Palestinian militant group was persuading Iran and Hezbollah to also participate in it.

Hamas members said that the internal situation in Israel, an apparent reference to the turmoil over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary, was among the reasons they were “compelled to move toward a strategic battle”.

The documents cited by The NYT further revealed that in July 2023, a top Hamas official visited Lebanon, where he met a senior Iranian commander and requested help with striking sensitive sites at the start of the assault.

This Iranian commander told the Hamas official that Tehran and Hezbollah were supportive in principle but needed more time to prepare.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Hamas planned to discuss attack with Hassan Nasrallah

Hamas planned to discuss its attack with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was recently assassinated by Israel. It was not known whether the discussion with Hezbollah happened.

Hamas felt assured of its allies’ general support but concluded it might need to go ahead without their full involvement.

The documents also highlighted that Hamas deliberately avoided confrontations with Israel for two years from 2021 so that it could maximise the surprise of the October 7 attack.

Back in November, Iranian officials claimed they had no warning of the October 7 invasion of Israel by its proxy Hamas, according to a report by Reuters. Three sources said at the time that “Iran’s supreme leader delivered a clear message to the head of Hamas when they met in Tehran in early November … You gave us no warning of your Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and we will not enter the war on your behalf.”

Iran’s Mission to the United Nations denied the claims made in the secret documents verified by The Times. “All the planning, decision-making and directing were solely executed by Hamas’s military wing based in Gaza, any claim attempting to link it to Iran or Hezbollah — either partially or wholly — is devoid of credence and comes from fabricated documents,” the Iranian statement said.

Hamas attacked southern Israel (on October 7 last year), killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages are reportedly still held by the Hamas.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22