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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22535/plan-to-eliminate-israel
Documents Show that Hamas Leaders Saw Themselves as an Integral Part of Iran's Regional Alliance
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Documents captured by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza show that on the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, Hamas leaders sent a message to Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah requesting support for the attack that had begun. They demanded active participation from all parties in the Iran-led "axis of resistance," noting that "the cost of any hesitation will be high and unbearable, both in terms of our plan and concerning you and the Islamic Republic [of Iran]. The newly uncovered message reveals that the Oct. 7 invasion was never intended to be a limited terrorist attack. It was conceived as the opening phase of a much broader regional war aimed at destroying Israel. It shows that Hamas leaders believed they were launching a grand strategic campaign involving Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, and other jihadist organizations aligned with Tehran to overwhelm Israel's defenses from all sides. A new secret letter sent by Hamas leaders to Iran's current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for coordinated military escalation on "all fronts" simultaneously against Israel. For years, many Western diplomats and analysts insisted that Hamas was primarily a local Palestinian movement focused on Gaza. The documents show that Hamas leaders viewed themselves as an integral part of Iran's regional military alliance. The documents demonstrate that ceasefires and negotiations with Hamas do not alter the group's core objective of Israel's destruction. So long as Hamas, Hizbullah, and the Iranian regime continue to exist in their current form, the chances of another Oct. 7-style massacre remain dangerously high.