Israel knew for more than a year that Hamas was planning an attack, according to the “New York Times”, but did not take the plan seriously

The American daily mentions a document of around forty pages designed by Hamas, and obtained by the military intelligence of the Israeli army. Despite the warnings, officers did not consider this plan by the Islamist movement to be credible.

Enough to relaunch debates on possible intelligence flaws. Israeli officials obtained Hamas’ plan to carry out unprecedented attack on Israel more than a year in advance, says New York Times, Friday December 1st. But they then judged this scenario unrealistic, writes the American daily.

This evokes a document of around forty pages written by Hamas, obtained by Israeli military intelligence, and which was then circulating under the code name “Jericho Wall” (The Wall of Jericho). It detailed, point by point, a vast attack like the one perpetrated by commandos on October 7, which left around 1,200 dead in Israel. He did not give a date for a possible attack. On the other hand, it defined precise points to saturate the Israeli security system, then attack towns and military bases.

The document, for example, describes a barrage of rockets, drones destroying security cameras and automated defense systems, and then fighters crossing to the Israeli side by paraglider, by car and on foot. So many elements at the heart of the attack of October 7.

“History could repeat itself”

But he was not “not possible to determine” if this plan had been approved “completely” by the Hamas leadership, underlined at the time an internal Israeli army document obtained by the New York Times. However, in July, an analyst from the elite intelligence unit 8200 warned that a military exercise that Hamas had just conducted resembled in several points the attack plan planned in the “Jericho Wall” document. But a colonel in the military division in charge of Gaza described this scenario as “totally imaginary”.

“I categorically refute the idea that this scenario is imaginary (…) it is a plan for a war” not just for an attack “against a village”wrote this analyst in encrypted emails consulted by the newspaper. “We already had a similar experience 50 years ago on the Southern Front in a scenario that seemed imaginary. History could repeat itself if we are not careful.”she added to her colleagues.

According to the Timesif the “Jericho Wall” document circulated within the Israeli military hierarchy, it is unknown whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet consulted it.