(Maariv-Jerusalem Post) Veteran journalist Ilan Kfir told Israel's Channel 11 that Hamas had an operative plan to reach the heart of Tel Aviv on Oct. 7, but was ultimately thwarted. "If [Hamas'] phase one plan was successful, they would go on to phase two - and it was prepared with large forces ready on standby and prepared to set off at noon." "At the heart of the plan was a breach in two areas, in the north as well as in the south and east, towards [Israel's nuclear facility in] Dimona, which was singled out by the group as a very central target. The goal of the operation would have been a raid on Tel Aviv. They marked several focal points in the city that were expected to be crowded in the afternoon and evening in order to carry out a mass massacre in the city." "Towards noon on Oct. 7, when Sinwar and his central command realized that they had achieved success above and beyond what was expected, an order was given to the forces of phase two to set off. Here, they encountered a big surprise because unlike in the morning - when...there was minimal IDF presence in the area - there was already an assessment and a huge influx of forces into the Nevatim area where a large blockade was carried out." "There is no doubt that if Hamas had carried out its second phase, the trauma and disaster on Oct. 7 would have been doubled. Maps found with terrorists indicated that they intended to reach Kiryat Gat. After that, a plan was discovered...to attack Shikma Prison in Ashkelon and release terrorists. Another plan was to attack the Hatzerim air base."
2024-03-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive