Asharq Al-Awsat, the London-based Arabic international newspaper on Wednesday reported, citing sources close to the leadership of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, that Operation Al Aqsa Flood began with only 70 fighters who carried out a surprise attack from several areas along the borders of the Gaza Strip from north to south.
These Hamas fighters crossed the Israeli border obstacle in the first moments of the Saturday morning operation by detonating explosive devices specially prepared to blow up openings in a thick wall after identifying its weak points, and by using gliders and parachutes that dropped fighters behind, above and around the Israeli positions.
The sudden attack led to the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of more than 200 others in towns, kibbutzim, and military bases in the Gaza envelope area. Shortly thereafter, Israel reported killing many of the perpetrators of the “Flood” operation – at least 1,500 Hamas members. And two weeks later, Israel killed more than 23,000 Arabs in its ongoing retaliatory war on the Gaza Strip.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the individual terrorists were selected from different regions of the Gaza Strip, from among hundreds of members of the elite Nakhba unit. They received extensive training over the years, and special tests were conducted for them every period to determine their capabilities and develop their combat skills.
The sources confirmed that the plan to storm the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip is not new, but rather it was thought about and preparations for it began before the 2014 war. When that war broke out, the plan was frozen, before the efforts were renewed a year later. As soon as the Battle of Saif al-Quds (that’s Operation Guardian of the Walls to you and me – DI) took place in 2021, it was decided in the military wing of Hamas to prepare for the invasion and implement it when the circumstances arise.
Shortly after the start of training, the reason for which was unknown to its participants, the most distinguished elite members who were selected for the operation took a special oath in front of their leaders not to reveal any secrets about their training, and not to talk about any plans related to the training, even though these members were not aware of a clear and immediate plan to carry out any attack, but only received special training for storming settlements.
The sources confirmed that many of the battalion commanders in the Gaza Strip were not aware of any details, or even aware of intentions to launch an imminent attack, while some of them were briefed on limited information related to their isolated tasks.
The sources said that this was part of a security plan to prevent the leaking of any information that might reach Israeli intelligence, which later admitted its failure to prevent the catastrophe of October 7.
EXTREME SECRECY
As for the decision to carry out the attack and its timing, according to what the same sources said, it was taken by only five people: the leader of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya al-Sinwar, the leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, Muhammad al-Deif, one of his most important aides who is the most wanted by Israel, Muhammad al-Sinwar, Yahya’s brother, and the leader of the movement, Rawhi Mushtaha, who is close to Sinwar, alongside Ayman Nofal, one of Deif’s close associates and the former official in charge of Al-Qassam Intelligence and the commander of Al-Wusta Brigade in the Phalange, who was assassinated by Israel recently.
The sources added that those responsible for preparing the operation later informed the commanders of the Al-Qassam Brigades of the equipment that had been put in place and the plan of the attack, but not its timing. Those commanders were notified only 3 days before of the final preparation, in a meeting with the commanders of the regional brigades who gave each commander specific tasks without revealing the time of the attacks.
The battalion commanders played their role in preparing their selected forces for the mission, while Ayman Siam, commander of the missile unit in the Gaza Strip (also assassinated recently), received special instructions to prepare to launch hundreds of missiles coinciding with the start of the attack.
The sources explained how the date, October 7 was determined, following field reports from monitoring units that confirmed complete silence on the Israeli side of the border. On Friday, October 6, the five officials decided that the most opportune time was Saturday morning, the holiday of Simchat Torah. Still, they waited until midnight to give the order to prepare, so the field commanders and fighters of the elite forces did not receive their instructions and began to move until the dawn hours, and then the operation began.
The cover of secrecy was extended to political officials in Hamas. The same sources said that Hamas leaders inside and outside the Gaza Strip received a briefing hours before the operation, and were asked to disappear, in keeping with the security protocol followed during an emergency.
The sources added that senior leaders, including Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and his deputy, Saleh Al-Arouri, were informed of the existence of the plan, but were not given precise details or timing, and they learned of the attack only a few hours before it began, like the field soldiers.
THE PLAN WAS MODEST, BUT THEN AN OPPORTUNITY WAS RECOGNIZED
The primary goal was to carry out a major qualitative attack and capture a group of Israeli soldiers, but according to the sources, surprises occurred that made the attack broader. The fighters were surprised by the ease with which the Israeli forces’ defense lines collapsed, which led to the immediate killing, wounding, and capture of a large number of soldiers.
An hour and a half after the initial attack, it was decided to mobilize the remaining members of the Al-Qassam elite units, and messages were sent out for them to gather at various points and to set out as support forces for the elements present inside the settlements. Later, the coordinator of the military wings of the Al-Qassam Brigades informed the rest of the armed wings of the factions about the possibility of their participating in the operation, and assigned specific tasks to each faction. Then the attack expanded and hundreds of militants, citizens, and even journalists succeeded in entering the Israeli settlements after the collapse of the defending forces.
The sources confirmed that after the capture of dozens of Israelis and amid the great chaos that erupted, the Al-Qassam leadership asked the fighters inside the settlements to occupy them for as long as possible, to help the collecting and transporting of the kidnapped civilians with few interruptions.
