The Israeli website Ynet revealed a document from 2016 warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "Hamas" intended to shift the upcoming conflict to Israel, seizing settlements and taking hostages. The report stated that this document was issued by then-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman on December 21, 2016, predicting the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The document, comprised of 11 pages, detailed "Hamas's intentions, including infiltrating Israeli territory, occupying surrounding settlements, and taking hostages," which would lead, along with material damage, to severe harm to the awareness and morale of Israeli citizens.
It confirmed that the primary goal was "the destruction of Israel by 2022 and the liberation of all Palestinian territories." Ynet noted that "Lieberman was concerned about the strengthening of the terrorist organization controlling Gaza. However, none of the parties to whom this warning was presented, including Netanyahu and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, took this scenario as seriously as it warranted."
The document, classified as "top secret," also assessed the situation in the Gaza Strip and outlined the then-defense minister's position, including the anticipated goals of the operation. These included "ensuring that the upcoming confrontation between Israel and Hamas would be the last."
It elucidated that "the best way to achieve this is for Hamas to surprise Israel with a preemptive strike," and also discussed necessary measures that would lead to the defeat of most leaders of the military wing of Hamas.
The document described the "horrific terrorist attack that would occur seven years later" as "an accurate and terrifying method." It stated that "delaying the decision to carry out a preemptive strike on Gaza after July 2017 would be a grave mistake with far-reaching consequences, in some respects more than the results of the Yom Kippur War, in terms of its effects on the Israeli home front, on the awareness of Israeli citizens, and on Israel's image and status in the region."
It continued: "Hamas wants the upcoming campaign against Israel to be multi-fronted by building additional fronts from Gaza (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Sinai), and even against Jewish targets worldwide." There was also mention of an increase in the number of rockets, efforts to develop advanced capabilities in land and sea domains, along with new aerial capabilities that include offensive platforms, drones for intelligence gathering, and disrupting GPS communications.
