Informed American sources revealed that the CIA is gathering information about senior Hamas leaders and the location of hostages in Gaza, providing this information to Israel during its operations in the sector, according to American officials who spoke to the New York Times. A new task force was formed in the days following the surprise attacks led by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,140 people, according to Israeli authorities, with around 240 taken hostage in Gaza.
Officials stated that immediately after the October 7 attack, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent a memorandum to intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense ordering the formation of the task force and directing an increase in intelligence collection regarding Hamas leadership. The establishment of the task force did not come with any new legal authorities, but the White House has raised the priority of intelligence gathering on Hamas.
It is unclear how significant this information is for Israel, as none of the senior Hamas leaders have been captured or killed. The United States is not providing Israel with intelligence on lower- or mid-level Hamas operatives. Before October 7, Israel estimated that the number of Hamas fighters ranged from 20,000 to 25,000. By the end of 2023, Israel reported to American officials that they believe they have killed nearly a third of that force.
Some American officials believe that targeting lower-level Hamas members is misleading, as they can be easily replaced, which unnecessarily raises risks for civilians. They also indicated that the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which has reportedly resulted in the death of around 24,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, could ultimately lead to a resurgence of Hamas fighters.
However, eliminating the strategic military leadership of Hamas is seen differently. Israel would achieve a significant victory if it were to kill or capture Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the architect of the October 7 attack, or Mohammed Deif, the military leader of Hamas. Such an operational success is likely to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more leeway with the Israeli public to conclude the military campaign in Gaza.
The report revealed that targeting Sinwar is not only about locating him; U.S. intelligence believes he is hiding in the deepest part of the tunnel network beneath Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He is also believed to be surrounded by hostages and using them as human shields, which significantly complicates the military operation to capture or kill him.
American officials noted that the U.S. did not provide any intelligence regarding the Israeli raid on January 2 in a suburb of Beirut that resulted in the death of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas, which relied on information gathered by Israel about al-Arouri's location. Additionally, the U.S. has intensified its intelligence collection operations on Hamas through drones over Gaza and increased efforts to intercept communications between Hamas officials.
