Newly captured Hamas documents expose how the terror group’s leader Yahya Sinwar orchestrated its deadly attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
The classified documents, seized from a Hamas underground command center in Khan Younis and obtained by the New York Times, detail a series of secret meetings where Sinwar and his inner circle plotted what they called “the big project” that would claim over 1,200 lives and the capture of 250 innocents.
Hamas originally targeted fall 2022 for the assault but delayed execution while attempting to secure Iranian and Hezbollah participation. Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed in an Israeli strike this July, received detailed briefings on the plot. He voted in favor of his counterparts back in Gaza, citing motivations of disrupting Israel-Saudi peace talks and expanding Arab control over Jerusalem’s holy sites.
In July 2023, Hamas dispatched a senior commander to Lebanon, pressing Iranian military leaders to join in striking sensitive Israeli targets. While Iran expressed support “in principle,” they requested more preparation time. At this time, Sinwar requested an additional $7 million a month from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who proved to be integral in coordinating talks between Hamas and Hezbollah.
The documents also indicate Hamas sought face-to-face talks with Hezbollah chief Nasrallah to discuss joining the attack, though whether these high-stakes meetings ever happened remains unclear.
Meanwhile, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pushed forward with his divisive judicial overhaul, Hamas leadership saw opportunity in Israel’s internal chaos. Minutes from one of Sinwar’s secret meetings show how Hamas eyed this period of domestic turmoil as the perfect moment to launch what they called a “strategic battle.”
Most disturbing is how large Israel’s intelligence failures loom in the captured records. Israeli military commanders repeatedly dismissed warnings about Hamas’s capabilities, even after obtaining evidence of their plans. Somehow, Hamas maintained radio silence for two years, successfully convincing Israel they “wanted calm” while preparing their deadly attack.
