A year before the tragic October 7 massacre, Israeli officials reportedly received a detailed blueprint of the attack carried out by Hamas, raising concerns about intelligence failures. The New York Times reporteds Friday that Israeli intelligence leaders were handed a 40-page battle plan codenamed “Jericho Wall,” outlining gliders entering Israel from Gaza, automatic machine guns on the border, and the use of drones to disable security cameras.
Despite the document being circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders, it was dismissed as aspirational and beyond the capabilities of Hamas. The plan’s contents, now eerily mirroring the tactics employed by Hamas on October 7, allowed the terror group to overwhelm Israeli defenses, resulting in the loss of 1,200 lives.
The report suggests that if the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had acted upon the intelligence and prevented the tactics, the attack might have been foiled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now facing scrutiny over the failure of the sophisticated Israeli intelligence services to detect and prevent the massacre.
The Israeli military chose not to provide a comment regarding the report, affirming that its main priority at the moment is to eradicate the threat posed by the terrorist group Hamas. They stated that inquiries of this nature will be addressed at a later phase.
Initially blaming military and intelligence chiefs in a now-deleted tweet, Netanyahu acknowledged the significant setback in protecting the people. The Israeli military’s Gaza division had reportedly concluded last year that Hamas was planning an unprecedented raid of large scale.
The Jericho Wall document referenced the Quran, quoting, “Surprise them through the gate. If you do, you will certainly prevail,” pointing to a chilling similarity with the actual raid where Hamas fighters breached Israeli barriers using construction vehicles and initiated a ground assault.
Notably, previous reports indicated that Israeli spies had picked up intelligence on Hamas’s plans but failed to convey a warning to the Netanyahu administration. The latest revelations underscore the level of information available about Hamas’s plans, with military figures choosing not to believe in their viability.
As Israel grapples with the aftermath of the tragedy, fresh rocket and gun attacks threaten a recently brokered six-day ceasefire by Qatar. U.S. President Joe Biden expresses hope for the continuation of the ceasefire until all hostages are released from Gaza, where approximately 140 prisoners are still held.
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