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.�

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