Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was presented with Israeli military intelligence outlining Hamas’s plans for a large-scale assault years before the Oct. 7 attack, according to a report published by Ynet.

Citing intelligence documents and testimony from senior officials, Ynet reported that as early as April 2018, Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate circulated an assessment warning that Hamas was developing a complex operational blueprint for a coordinated, multifront attack on Israeli military bases and civilian communities near Gaza. The plan later became known as “Jericho’s Walls.”

According to the report, the document envisioned breaching the Gaza border at dozens of locations and sending thousands of fighters into Israeli territory. It was distributed to senior defense and intelligence officials, including the prime minister’s and defense minister’s military secretaries, the National Security Council, the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, and the IDF chief of staff’s office.

The intelligence assessment stressed that the scope and complexity of the plan were “exceptional,” even as some analysts questioned Hamas’s immediate ability to carry it out. They nonetheless warned it reflected a significantly expanded threat.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied having prior knowledge of the plan before Oct. 7. However, Ynet said documents submitted by the prime minister to State Comptroller’s Office acknowledge receipt of the 2018 report, while omitting warnings about Hamas’s long-term intentions.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)