Israeli intelligence analysts unearthed a treasure trove of sophisticated Hamas war plans focused against Kibbutz complexes, suggesting a high degree of planning for the well-coordinated assault on October 7.
The intelligence gathered from many of the 1,500 dead militants reveals a level of savagery never seen before, implying that Israel’s infantry troops will face a deadly and tenacious defence of Gaza.
As Israeli forces rally to prepare for the ground-attack they are bracing for a blistering counter-assault from Hamas using a complex, booby-trapped and terrifying network of tunnels.
It means unmanned ground vehicle drones being sent into underground networks, followed up by Israel’s elite “tunnel warrior” troops preparing to clear them of Hamas diehards.
Massive “bunker buster” bombs may have to be dropped on tunnel entrances but these would mean troops having to withdraw at a distance, hampering the pace of the attack.
But if this would slow down the attack Israel’s special forces will send in the ground drones to map out the tunnels, find the booby-traps and destroy them before entering.
When special forces were shooting Hamas shooters outside Gaza a week ago, they discovered they were carrying war guides and handbooks.
They were carrying operational plans, encrypted phones, encrypted numbers, and even intelligence guidelines on targets, according to intelligence papers.
The disturbing collection reveals that Hamas has been planning its death spree for months, and insiders say the organisation has planned a nightmare defence of Gaza.
There were detailed directives on which populations to target and even crimes to conduct against them, code terms for each stage of the assault, and even kidnapping instructions.
The killing spree unleashed horror in south Israel and sparked an Israel-Hamas war that is threatening to spread into the wider Middle East.
So far 1,400 Israelis have died from the October 7 attacks and rocketing since, with 2,382 wounded, whilst 2,750 Gazans have been killed with almost 10,000 wounded.