A few weeks before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, hundreds of militants from Palestinian terrorist groups underwent special combat training in Iran. The military exercises were led by officers of the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Wall Street Journal writes about this, citing sources familiar with the intelligence data. According to their information, about 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants took part in military exercises in Iran.

The exercises took place in September and were conducted by officers of the Quds Force, the foreign operations unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The head of the Quds Force, General Ismail Qaani, was present at the exercise.

"The Quds Force is one of the five branches of the IRGC that specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps constantly supports and participates in terrorist activities around the world.

Early in the morning of October 7, Hamas militants launched a large-scale attack on Israel: thousands of rockets flew into the country, and groups of terrorists broke through the border and began killing and abducting civilians.

In particular, Hamas militants massacred festival participants on the border with Gaza: more than 250 bodies were found at the venue, and some civilians were captured and taken to Gaza. Dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of murdered civilians are still being found in Israeli kibbutzim in the south of the country.

In response to the aggression, Israel announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords, and the Israeli Security Council unanimously approved a ground operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying terrorists. The IDF has already struck at militant locations in the Gaza Strip.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on the 17th day of the war against terrorist groups, Israel expressed its readiness to cancel the ground military operation in the Gaza Strip. To do this, Hamas militants were set a condition - to release all hostages and surrender.

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