A previously unrevealed Hamas intelligence document exposed this weekend by the German BILD news outlet proves that Gaza’s Iranian proxy is not really interested in ending its war with Israel.
Moreover, the document reveals the terror group’s strategy for psychological warfare and manipulation of the international community, along with its plans to rearm.
The document, dated from spring 2024, was reportedly approved personally by Hamas “absolute leader” Yahya Sinwar, was found on a computer said to belong to the terrorist leader.
The document bluntly underscores the importance of abusing the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, and their families, as leverage in the negotiations.
“Continue to exert psychological pressure on the families of the prisoners, both now and during the first phase (ed: of the ceasefire), so that public pressure on the enemy government increases,” the document states.
According to BILD, the document listed factors to be addressed by Hamas negotiators in hostage release talks with Israel brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, as follows:
* The capacity of the Hamas armed forces to operate against Israel must be maintained;
* The Israeli political and military apparatus must be “exhausted”; and
*International pressure on Israel must be “increased.”
The document emphasized, “Important clauses in the agreement should be improved, even if negotiations continue over a longer period of time.”
Hamas negotiators are instructed to demand that “Arab forces be stationed along the eastern and northern borders” of Gaza to “serve as a buffer to prevent the enemy from entering Gaza after the war ends, until [Hamas and its allies] have reorganized their ranks and military capabilities.”
The document also makes clear the terror leader’s strategy to ensure that “Israel’s stubbornness” is blamed for failure of the talks, rather than Hamas intransigence.
The terror organization has, in the meantime, increased its demands in the talks, including a demand to raise the number of “heavy” terrorist murderers serving life sentences in Israel, to be freed in a deal, from 100 to at least 150.
Sinwar himself was freed in exactly this way as the result of a 2011 deal to return Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit, who was held captive by Hamas in Gaza for more than five years. More than a thousand bloodthirsty terrorists were released in return for Shalit’s freedom.
The deaths of Gaza civilians caused by the Hamas war against Israel was not mentioned even once in the document, nor was the importance of the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer strip of land that was supposed to serve as a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border, but instead became a terrorist transit hub.
Hamas has been holding up the talks over Israel’s unwillingness to relinquish control over the Philadelphi Corridor, where dozens of terrorist tunnels used for the import of Iranian cash, arms and operatives along with luxury goods for Hamas elite in Gaza.
Full Transcript, Video: Netanyahu Explains Why Israel Cannot Leave Philadelphi Corridor
A similar document was found by Israeli forces in a Hamas underground command post on January 29 this year, detailing Hamas orders for psychological warfare. That document, shown in Arabic with an English translation, was revealed the foreign news media earlier this week in an English-language press conference by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Here’s what it says: ‘Push photos and videos of hostages. Put it out in the media, because that creates enormous psychological pressure.’
“Who’s not affected by it?” Netanyahu pointed out. “Any human being seeing these souls, these girls, these people, young people from those dungeons, you’re affected by.
“‘Second: ‘Increase psychological pressure on defense minister.’
“‘Third: ‘Continue blaming Netanyahu.’
“And fourth: ‘Claim ground operation will not release hostages.’”
“That’s Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “It’s not only their talking points, it’s their strategy. And their idea is this will sow internal discord and increase international pressure on Israel. That’s what they hope to achieve.”
