According to a New York Times report, Israeli officials had been discussing plans for a year to weaken Hamas in Gaza, even before the October 7th attack. This included a controversial strategy of potentially containing Hamas rather than trying to destroy it, believing it could be a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The report details how Israeli intelligence, including military and security agencies, assessed that Hamas was not interested in a major conflict and was more focused on governing Gaza. This assessment heavily influenced Israeli policy and security deployments, leading to a false sense of security and contributing to the surprise of the October 7th attack.
The plans involved measures to improve living conditions in Gaza, such as allowing more Gazan workers into Israel and easing restrictions on the entry of goods. The thinking was that economic improvements could maintain a degree of stability. However, critics argue that these measures were insufficient to address the underlying issues in Gaza and ultimately proved ineffective in preventing the attack.
Furthermore, the report highlights the divisions within the Israeli government regarding the approach to Hamas, with some officials advocating for a more aggressive stance while others favored a more cautious approach. These internal disagreements contributed to the overall misjudgment of Hamas’s intentions and capabilities leading up to the October 7th attack.
find the original article here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/long-had-israel-planning-attack-155428119.html