Hamas planned West Bank attacks to provoke full-scale war in Israel - The Washington Post

Hamas terrorists were planning deeper attacks to provoke a war in Israel. They were even preparing for a "second phase" of attacks amid hopes of provoking violence in the West Bank and beyond.

This was reported by The Washington Post. The first evidence was found on the bodies of the killed militants: maps, drawings, notes, as well as weapons and equipment they were carrying.

"In Beersheba, a kibbutz town seized by Hamas on October 7, one of the dead militants had a notebook with hand-scribbled Koranic verses and orders that simply read, 'Kill as many people as possible and take as many hostages as possible. Others were equipped with pepper spray, handcuffs, and thermobaric grenades designed to instantly turn homes into hell," the report says.

According to officials, some of the militants had enough food, ammunition and equipment to last them for several days, and they were instructed to continue moving deeper into Israel if the first wave of attacks succeeded, potentially striking at larger Israeli cities.

The assault teams managed to infiltrate Ofakim, an Israeli city located about 15 miles from the Gaza Strip and about halfway between the enclave and the West Bank. According to two senior Middle East intelligence officials and one former U.S. official with knowledge of the evidence, one unit had intelligence and maps indicating an intention to continue the offensive to the West Bank border.

In addition, Hamas has been expanding its activities among militants in the West Bank in recent months, although the group claims that it did not inform its West Bank allies in advance of its plans for October 7.

"If that had happened, it would have been a huge propaganda victory - a symbolic blow not only to Israel but also to the Palestinian Authority," the former U.S. official said.

"We knew there would be a strong reaction. But we did not choose this path when we had other options. We have no other options," the militant representative added on condition of anonymity.

According to analysts, Hamas has been carefully planning and preparing for the massacre of Israeli civilians on a scale that could most likely provoke the Israeli government to send troops to the Gaza Strip.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on November 12, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli troops had completed the encirclement of Gaza. The fighting took place near the Shifa hospital, in the basement of which Hamas militants are located.

Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces reported the capture of key Hamas strongholds in Gaza City. The IDF called the process of releasing Hamas hostages complicated and one that will take time.

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