The publication cites minutes of secret meetings of the Hamas leadership that it has obtained to back its claim.
At the same time, Iran's mission to the UN previously stated that Tehran had not been involved in the Hamas attack on Israel. The Hezbollah movement joined the Hamas fight about a month later.
"While Doha-stationed Hamas officials have themselves stated that they, too, had no prior knowledge of the operation and that all the planning, decision-making, and directing were solely executed by Hamas's military wing based in Gaza, any claim attempting to link it to Iran or Hezbollah—either partially or wholly—is devoid of credence and comes from fabricated documents," the mission said in a statement.
Before Attacking Israel, Hamas Had 3 Attack Scenarios Based on 17,000 Photos - Reports
Before attacking Israel on October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas developed three attack scenarios based on more than 17,000 photographs, the Washington Post reported citing documents.
The attack plans were based on a "massive database" of more than 17,000 photographs, from satellite images to drone photos of Israeli cities and landscapes taken from social media, the publication said.
Three possible attack vectors were described, along with tactics to deceive and disorient Israeli security officials. The plans include a mix of low-tech operations, some of which were used on October 7, and other more ambitious plans, the newspaper said citing documents found by the Israeli military in Hamas command centers.
The publication noted that it could not confirm the authenticity of the documents, but their content matches the assessments of US intelligence agencies and Israel's allies.
According to the newspaper, one of the plans assumed an attack on the 70-story Moshe Aviv skyscraper, as well as the Azrieli Center, which consists of three skyscrapers, a huge shopping mall, a movie theater and a train station. The headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces is located nearby — it was assumed that the collapse of the buildings could lead to the destruction of this military facility.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After that, Hamas fighters penetrated the border areas, opened fire on the military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to the authorities, about 1,200 people were killed.
The Israel Defense Forces then launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which included strikes on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, almost 42,000 people were killed, over 97,000 were injured. The Gaza Strip was effectively divided into southern and northern parts, and Israel is conducting a ground operation in Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to cease hostilities. According to Moscow’s position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of the formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.