Documents found in Gaza detail Iranian sponsorship ahead of Hamas’ attack on October 7

Iran was a key part of Hamas’s preparations for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to a report released Sunday by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, based on documents the IDF has recently found in Gaza . year.

Although Iran has denied prior knowledge of the October 7 attack, documents cited in the Meir Amit Center report indicate Tehran’s involvement in Hamas’s preparations.

“Hamas documents taken by IDF forces during the ground operation in the Gaza Strip … provide a rare glimpse into the extent of Iran’s penetration of Hamas as part of building its ‘axis of resistance’ against Israel,” the report said. “The documents teach us about Iran’s strategic process to gain a foothold and influence what happens in Hamas in particular and in Gaza in general.”

On December 18, 2022, Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, who was killed in March this year, wrote to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar – also killed this year by the IDF – that Iran agreed to a special budget of $7 million a month for a year to prepare for war with Israel, but Issa thought Hamas should ask for a three or four month advance so the group could prepare more quickly prepare.

The letter also states that the sides discussed ways to smuggle weapons from Yemen to Hamas through “a network of smugglers he fully trusts,” and the use of an Iranian submarine, according to the Meir Amit Center report.

In May 2022, former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, who remains a senior figure in the terrorist group, wrote to Issa about a joint project between Iran and Hamas to prepare for the infiltration of Israel. Hamas would establish bases in Lebanon, starting with 2,000 terrorists operating under the command of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.

“There are two main missions,” the letter reads. “If there is a joint battle and the Radwan force tries to attack, Hamas will be in the lead. If there are circumstances similar to (the eleven-day war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021), there will be independent infiltration actions, which means that Al-Qassam (Hamas) groups will infiltrate.”

Referring to disputes between Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC over the chain of command when the groups work together, Mashal wrote that while Hamas wants to maintain a “good atmosphere” and not fight with the other groups, “it is our right to maintain a high level of secrecy towards Hezbollah.”

Iran also trained Hamas terrorists in the use of drones in the years leading up to the October 7 attack. According to another document, the terrorists were smuggled to Iran via Turkey in 2019 for advanced training.

“This mission came with secret instructions from the (Islamic) Revolutionary Guards to develop the capabilities of the elite members of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the Gaza Strip,” a document said. “This course is part of the secret coordination between Hamas and the IRGS for use in special terror missions against the Israeli army.”

Multiple documents showed that Iran had specific instructions on how to use the money it sent to Hamas, although Issa wrote a letter in 2021 complaining about money disappearing in transit. In the Meir Amit Center’s assessment: “The Hamas leadership likely kept some of the Iranian money for its own pockets or purposes.”

Iran used its financial influence over Hamas to influence its decision-making. Former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh wrote to Sinwar in 2022 to inform him that Iran will restore its funding to Hamas after the latter agreed to restore relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. Hamas had previously supported the Syrian rebels against Assad.

Iran supported several smaller terrorist groups in Gaza, operating under the command of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. But the Islamic Republic was also willing to cooperate with secular Palestinian terrorists such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which sent representatives to meet with the Iranian ambassador to Syria in 2023 to discuss cooperation on “the resistance of the Palestinian nation in the West Bank”. ‘ and ‘strengthening the axis of resistance’.

Iran also sought to influence Gaza’s citizens, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslims, in a process the report calls “Shiaization.” Iranian-sponsored activities include the celebration of “Quds Day,” a holiday invented by the mullahs’ regime aimed at inciting Israel. The regime held competitions for “media projects to strengthen the stability” of Iranian allies. Iran paid about $120,000 a month to support Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad radio stations, sponsored scholarships named after terrorists and provided students with free school supplies, along with information about the IRGC’s Quds Force and other elements of the ‘ axis of resistance’ of Tehran.

The Meir Amit Center is a non-governmental organization that works closely with the Israeli intelligence community and publishes reports on intelligence and terrorism, often based on primary sources and written by current and former officers of Israeli intelligence services.