The Israeli military declined to comment on the report, saying it was “currently focused on eliminating the threat from the terrorist organisation Hamas”.
“Questions of this kind will be looked into in a later stage,” it said.
The document was seen by many Israeli military and intelligence officials, the report said, though it was unclear if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top leaders had seen it.
The document predicted that Hamas would bombard Israel with rockets, use drones to disable Israel’s security and surveillance abilities at the border wall, and take over southern communities and military bases. Another 2016 Israeli defence memo obtained by the Times said Hamas intended to take hostages back to Gaza.
The Oct 7 attack – in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 people were abducted and taken to Gaza – would uncannily mirror the one outlined in the battle plan. But Israeli officials had brushed off the plan, the report said, dismissing it as “aspirational” rather than something that could practically take place, the report said.
Source: CNA
