How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack | Reuters
Category: News & Politics
Via: kavika • last year • 14 commentsBy: Samia Nakhoul,Jonathan Saul (Reuters)
While Israel was led to believe it was containing a war-weary Hamas by providing economic incentives to Gazan workers, the group's fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight, a source close to Hamas said.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Samia Nakhoul and Jonathan SaulOctober 10, 20234:00 PM UTCUpdated agoSummary
Hamas gave impression economy was in focus, says source
Even in plain sight, Hamas trained for attack, says source
Israel misread training as posturing, source adds
'This is our 9/11,' says army spokesman, 'They got us.'
Oct 9 (Reuters) - A careful campaign of deception ensured Israel was caught off guard when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its devastating attack, enabling a force using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to take on the Middle East's most powerful army.
Saturday's assault, the worst breach in Israel's defences since Arab armies waged war in 1973, followed two years of subterfuge by Hamas that involved keeping its military plans under wraps and convincing Israel it did not want a fight.
While Israel was led to believe it was containing a war-weary Hamas by providing economic incentives to Gazan workers, the group's fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight, a source close to Hamas said.
This source provided many of the details for the account of the attack and its buildup that has been pieced together by Reuters. Three sources within Israel's security establishment, who like others asked not to be identified, also contributed to this account.
"Hamas gave Israel the impression that it was not ready for …
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Israel was conned from beginning to end.
That seems to ber the best explanation that I've seen.
Of course the other side of the story is that while Israel mis-judged the intentions of Hamas--- Hamas also probably misjudged the Israelis.
Israel's response (which some people would say is 'excessive") may also have caused some Gazans to finally realize that Hamas' attack might not have had the desired result (i.e. that it only strengthened the Israeli resolve-- and that Hamas' actions only ended up hurting the people of Gaza).
In another article that I read earlier, they were in agreement with this article but stated that Hamas wanted Israel to respond the way it is to use as propaganda worldwide against the killing of Palestinian women and children and as we see it working.
What will be a perfect example of a Pyrrhic Victory - Hamas may have won the initial battle on Oct 7 but they are going to lose the war BIG TIME.
As the marches and demonstrations and protests in favour of the Palestinians and antisemitism and hate crimes proliferate, how is it NOT working. Is the media changing its bias? Are governments (including your own) demanding a cease fire not increasing, when all a cease fire does is benefit Hamas and cost more IDF lives?
Yes, too many Israelis wanted to believe that Hamas had changed its spots after a several year lull in attacks.
If it hasn't ALREADY been obvious that NOTHING will stop Hamas and its buddies like Islamic Jihad from its attacks unless they are entirely eradicated. It will NEVER become obvious to a world made up of stupid impressionable undiscriminating people ignorant of reality and history. Orwell was right in 1984 - Tell the people black is white and they'll believe it.
Fortunately for me the Reuters article was reprinted in the Jerusalem Post, but I can't understand the low numbers posted in it - I wonder if the original article was written on the day or two after Oct 7.
I wondered about that as well, Buzz.
The US might have considered anchoring a hospital ship in the Med to treat Gazan children but who could trust them to deliver only the wounded and not a suicide bomb.
On October 7 Hamas also killed 21 Bedouins and abducted another 6. Those pieces of shit that so many in the world are supporting wouldn't give a shit if they had even killed the Pope.
They also killed 13 Thai farm workers and some people from Nepal that were working on a cross training for farming with Israel.
They beheaded a Thai worker that they posted and have taken some as captives.
I cannot find a reference to the Thai government reaction to that - whether or not they will support Israel's retaliation or join the rest of the bleeding heart nations and call for a cease fire.