The Mossad issued an internal assessment just two weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that downplayed the risk of an imminent attack, according to a Channel 12 report.

The position paper, cited by the network, stated that Hamas leadership in Gaza “is not interested in military conflict with Israel at the present time, but will not be deterred if it is forced upon them.” The document also noted that Hamas was maintaining “a high degree of readiness out of concern for Israeli countermeasures,” but assessed that the group’s overall interest was to avoid escalation.

The attack on October 7 left roughly 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage, making it the deadliest assault in Israel’s history.

In response to Channel 12’s reporting, Mossad said it was not responsible for intelligence collection or operational activity in Gaza.

“According to the distribution of responsibilities between the intelligence services… the Mossad has no responsibility for strategic alerts about the use of force in the Palestinian arena,” the agency said in a statement. It added that the paper was given “low significance” and clarified that it did not deal “operationally in the Gaza Strip — neither in intelligence gathering, nor in running agents, nor in conducting special operations.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)