The 7 October attack, which took Israeli forces by surprise, has been the subject of multiple reviews amid accusations of security lapses [Getty]
The late commander of Hamas‘ military wing, Mohammed Deif, had considered calling off Operation Al-Aqsa Flood just hours before it took place on 7 October 2023, Israeli media reported on Friday.
Deif was concerned that Israeli security services had prepared an ambush for his forces and nearly cancelled the operation at 05:00 on the day of the attack, according to an internal investigation by the Israeli military, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Deif and Yahya Sinwar, the then-leader of Hamas in Gaza, had formed a ‘Small War Council’ to ensure operational secrecy, the report said, citing internal documents and interviews with senior officials.
Deif, who was known internally as Brother Haj Ali, was reportedly one of the masterminds behind the attack.
He led Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades for more than two decades and was killed in an Israeli strike last year. His death was confirmed by Hamas only last month.
The Yedioth Ahronoth report is part of a series of investigative articles examining Israel’s intelligence failures leading up to 7 October.
The attack, which took Israeli forces by surprise, has been the subject of multiple reviews amid accusations of security lapses.
Meanwhile, an autopsy conducted by the Israeli military on the body of Yahya Sinwar has found no evidence that the Hamas leader used drugs, contrary to previous Israeli allegations that he and other Hamas fighters had taken Captagon, a stimulant used in warzones.
Forensic tests reportedly found no traces of amphetamines in Sinwar’s blood, though they indicated that he had consumed a significant amount of caffeine before his death.
Sinwar was killed in battle with Israeli forces in Rafah in October after a tank shell hit the building he was in. An initial autopsy revealed that he had not eaten for three days before his death and had survived for several hours after being shot in the head.
His body remains in Israeli custody in an undisclosed location. His younger brother, Mohammed Sinwar, the current Hamas leader in Gaza, has demanded that Israel return his body as part of a ceasefire agreement, a request Israel has so far refused.
