TEL AVIV – An investigative report conducted by
investigative journalists and military affairs specialists from Israeli
newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has found that Israel’s intelligence services have
consistently underestimated and failed to deter Hamas’ intelligence and
military capabilities, according to Al-Ghad newspaper.
اضافة اعلان
The report found that the recent "
Storm of Al-Aqsa" battle took the Israeli occupation by surprise, revealing the
exceptional intelligence capabilities of Hamas. This highlighted the cumulative
failure of Israeli military intelligence in predicting, preventing, and
countering the sudden attacks by
Al-Qassam fighters on Israeli settlements in
the Gaza periphery and towns in the south.
The assessment by Israeli intelligence suggests that Hamas'
intelligence apparatus has significantly improved over the past decade and has
been actively collecting intelligence on the Israeli military's deployment and
activities in the south and along the security fence with Gaza.
The investigative report reveals the extent of the
information acquired by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas,
concerning the locations of secret Israeli military facilities within the Gaza
envelope, including the secret "Yarkon-8200" base in the south.
2018 Hamas attack may
have proved to be a crucial intelligence gathering exerciseAccording to the investigation, Hamas used intelligence
information for its military maneuvers within Gaza and along the Gaza security
fence. The organization relied on deceiving and misleading various Israeli
intelligence arms that failed to infiltrate the communication network of elite
Al-Qassam units for monitoring, tracking, and intelligence collection.
Al-Qassam Brigades' covert "Seerat Maktal" unit in
Gaza carried out an operation in November 2018, although it was detected and
engaged by Israeli forces, resulting in casualties on both sides. However, the
operation was described as "mysterious" by Israeli standards.
Hamas intelligence was able to decipher the encryption used
by the wireless devices carried by Seerat Maktal's members, giving them access
to the intelligence networks used by the soldiers in their units. This enabled
Hamas to gather significant intelligence about the locations of Israeli
military bases and detect gaps in the security fence and electronic warning
systems along the security fence.
One of the most significant pieces of intelligence collected
since the 2018 Seerat Maktal operation is the exposure of the secret
"Yarkon-8200" base, where on the morning of October 7, 2023, the
"Team 17" from Al-Qassam's elite unit managed to reach and breach.
Hamas likely gained a
lot of intelligence in the precise and well planned Al Aqsa flood operationThe team consisted of ten operatives who infiltrated and
penetrated the area deep in the south, away from the breached fence. They
stormed the military base, planted explosives, and entered the facility, where
they gathered intelligence information from the computers and military systems
they found inside the base.
The Israeli security establishment is still investigating
the extent to which sensitive information Hamas was able to gather during the
attack. In a recording of the operation, the video footage captured their
infiltration, attack, and a demonstration of the depth of their intelligence
gathering.
The operatives knew precisely how to locate the secret base
among several others in the area, and they navigated through adjacent bushes,
reaching the back gate of the base, which was unguarded and then exploded,
stormed, and opened fire on the soldiers.
The same situation was faced by the Israeli army's
"Gaza Brigade'' unit, as multiple Hamas operatives infiltrated it and
engaged soldiers, resulting in numerous casualties within the base. This battle
reached its climax when troops from the "Tzalim'' base arrived at the
"Yarkon" base to reinforce it. Later, special counterterrorism units
pursued the remaining infiltrators.
Hamas' intelligence gathering also extended to the
"Gaza Brigade" unit of the Israeli army. Operatives managed to engage
soldiers and inflict heavy casualties within the base. As the battle in the
base drew to a close, some soldiers of the "Gaza Brigade" encountered
something peculiar near the office of the commander of one of the brigades.
They noticed something strange.
The operatives from Hamas knew exactly how to locate the
office of the unit's commander and launched three rounds of fire at a specified
height, as if they knew the room's layout and the commander's seating position.
Clearly, the infiltrators had access to extremely precise intelligence.
Top secret booklet
outlined Al Qassams plans and shows scale of intelligence breachA short Arabic-language booklet, titled "Top
Secret," was found near the "Mefalsim" settlement, describing
the battle plan for the "Storm of Al-Aqsa" operation with remarkable
detail. It lacked only a specific date. According to this booklet, the main
unit intended to launch an attack on the "Mefalsim" settlement,
consisting of 11 fighters, including a commander and two teams, each comprising
five fighters.
Their objective was to approach the gate of the "Abu
Safiyah" perimeter fence, which they were supposed to breach just before
the specified time. From there, orders were issued to advance toward the
southwestern corner of the fence surrounding the settlement, which was the
nearest point to the Gaza Strip.
At this point, they were also given orders to take a
position on the road to block reinforcements from reaching the Israeli army.
The second team was tasked with approaching the "Kibbutz" and causing
a breach in the fence. Then, the fighters were instructed to penetrate the
"Kibbutz," seize civilians and soldiers as hostages, and take control
of the military facilities and equipment. However, the plan did not provide a
specific date for the attack, leaving it blank.
It's clear that the "Storm of Al-Aqsa" operation
was not the only thing included in the Hamas intelligence plan, as it also
involved information on the deployment of Israeli forces in the area under the
title "The Enemy." It detailed the presence of about 1,000 civilians
in the "Mefalsim" settlement, roughly 20 members of a reserve
brigade, and another 37 soldiers from the Israeli army, including 27 soldiers
from the infantry brigade.
The booklet contained information about other Israeli military
forces located in the area that could provide reinforcements to the settlement
as necessary. It mentioned the presence of three to five military jeeps in the
"Nahal Oz" region, described as an initial reinforcement force
capable of reaching the "Mefalsim" settlement within 3 to 5 minutes.
This wealth of information gathered by Hamas extended to the
positions and deployment of Israeli forces and included the identities of
high-ranking officers in the field.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
