The New York Times reported today, Friday, that the Israeli army was aware of Hamas's plan to launch an attack on Israeli territory more than a year before the October 7 operation. This is the latest in a series of indications that senior Israeli military leaders either ignored or downplayed warnings that Hamas was planning an attack that ignited a war against the group, devastating the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper stated that Israeli officials possessed a 40-page battle plan, codenamed "Jericho Wall," which included details of a hypothetical Hamas attack on southern Israel. It was unclear how Israel obtained the document, but the article noted that it had been translated—suggesting it may have been in Arabic and intercepted directly from Hamas.
The Israeli army declined to comment on the report, stating it "is currently focused on eliminating the threat posed by the terrorist organization Hamas." They added, "Questions of this nature will be considered at a later stage."
The report mentioned that several Israeli military and intelligence officials were aware of the document; however, it remained unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other senior leaders had reviewed it. The document predicted that Hamas would bombard Israel with rockets and use drones to disrupt Israel's security and surveillance capabilities at the border wall, seizing southern areas and military bases.
Another Israeli defense memo obtained by the newspaper in 2016 noted that Hamas intended to return hostages to Gaza. The planned attack on October 7 mirrored the battle plan. However, the report indicated that Israeli officials dismissed the plan, deeming it impractical.
The report comes amid public outrage against Prime Minister Netanyahu's government for failing to prevent an attack that seemed preceded by numerous warning signs. The attack had been planned in plain sight. A month before the attack, Hamas released a video on social media showing fighters using explosives to breach a replica of the border gate, storming small trucks, moving from building to building in a model of a complete Israeli town, and firing automatic weapons at target mannequins.
In the video, the militants destroyed life-sized models of the concrete towers of the wall and the communication antennas, just as they did on October 7. The apparent neglect by the military further fueled public anger in Israel, as Israeli media reported that military officials disregarded warnings from border monitors who reported that they were witnessing preparations by Hamas for the attack.
According to media reports, the Israeli youth agency reported seeing Hamas drones and attempts to disrupt Israeli border cameras in the months leading up to the attack. Netanyahu has not gone so far as to apologize for the attack, stating that blame should come after the war has been fought. Critics allege he is trying to evade responsibility for the countless intelligence failures that led to the deadliest day in Israel's history.
