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Hamas’s Strategy for 9/11 Style Assaults on Israel Revealed in Uncovered Documents
Plans for Rail Explosions, High-Rise Destruction & Antiquated Warfare
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In the years leading up to the October 7, 2023, attack, Hamas meticulously crafted plans for a far more catastrophic wave of assaults against Israel. Recently uncovered documents, seized by Israeli forces during their ground offensive in Gaza, shed light on Hamas’s broader, long-term strategy. According to records reviewed by The Washington Post, the group’s leadership envisioned attacks that could have been exponentially more deadly, including one particularly alarming scenario: the toppling of a Tel Aviv skyscraper in a 9/11-style assault.
These documents, which Israeli officials said were found in Hamas command centers, reveal a wide array of plans involving unconventional means of attack. Electronic files and physical papers outlined strategies for assaults using trains, boats, and even horse-drawn chariots. While some of these plans bordered on the absurd and lacked logistical feasibility, they underscored the scale and ambition of Hamas’s intentions. Terrorism experts, cited by The Washington Post, have noted that while certain proposals were impractical, the mere fact that they were considered speaks to the group’s resolve to unleash destruction on an unprecedented scale.
Furthermore, these plans anticipated drawing in allied militant groups for a coordinated offensive against Israel from multiple directions — the north, south, and east — leveraging both regional instability and Hamas’s connections with other factions. The idea was to overwhelm Israeli defenses through a multifront assault, a tactic designed to stretch Israel’s military resources to the limit.
BREAKING: Washington Post obtained newly uncovered Hamas documents revealing 9/11-style attack on Israeli skyscrapers, railway bombings, and secret pleas to Iran for funds to destroy Israel.
Siding with Hamas after October 7th is no different from supporting Al-Qaeda after 9/11. pic.twitter.com/U0odMsH6R7
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 12, 2024
A particularly significant aspect of the documents is the evidence of Hamas’s outreach to Iran. The trove includes a 59-page dossier, annotated and illustrated, that details options for escalating attacks on Israel, as was reported by The Washington Post. This also includes a series of letters from Hamas leaders to Iran’s top officials, dated from 2021. In these letters, Hamas formally requested hundreds of millions of dollars in financial support as well as training for 12,000 additional fighters.
The letters represent a clear attempt to drag Iran deeper into the conflict. However, it remains unclear whether Iran was fully aware of the breadth of Hamas’s plans or whether Tehran responded to these requests. As The Washington Post reported, Israeli officials are particularly concerned about these communications, viewing them as part of a broader effort by Hamas to bring Iran into a direct confrontation with Israel. Historically, Iran has been cautious about engaging Israel directly, preferring instead to support its regional proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas itself.
The documents seized are part of a vast collection that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they have obtained since their October 27, 2023, ground invasion of Gaza. These records provide a unique glimpse into the internal workings and ambitions of Hamas, offering critical insights into the group’s long-term objectives.
This release of Hamas’s documents comes at a particularly volatile time in the Middle East. Israeli leaders are currently contemplating a retaliatory strike following a significant escalation with Iran. On October 1, 2024, Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, a direct response to Israel’s killing of Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group. This marks one of the most serious confrontations between Israel and Iran in recent years, further intensifying the already complex geopolitical landscape.’
Washington Post obtained newly uncovered Hamas documents revealing 9/11 style attack on Israeli skyscrapers, railway bombings and secret pleas to Iran for funds to destroy Israel. #HamasisISIS @washingtonpost #September11th #terrorattack @Israel #Iran #skyscrapers #bombings… https://t.co/EtgypVPS8C
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) October 13, 2024
An Israeli security official, who spoke with The Washington Post under the condition of anonymity, emphasized the significance of Hamas’s role in provoking this conflict. “Hamas is so determined to wipe Israel and the Jewish people off the map that it managed to drag Iran into direct conflict — under conditions that Iran wasn’t prepared for,” the official stated.
This statement calls attention to the broader implications of Hamas’s ambitions. The group, while often viewed as operating independently, has demonstrated a clear desire to engage its allies in a larger, more destructive campaign against Israel. By actively seeking Iranian support, Hamas not only solidifies its role as a central player in the ongoing conflict but also threatens to escalate tensions to unprecedented levels.
The United States has been unequivocal in its support of Israel during this time of heightened tension. President Joe Biden, in a statement on Wednesday, reaffirmed America’s commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself. “The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and all its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis,” Biden declared, according to The Washington Post report. This strong stance reflects Washington’s broader strategic interests in the region, where Iran’s growing influence through its network of terrorist proxies remains a top concern.
As the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas intensifies, President Joe Biden emphasized his administration’s commitment to alleviating the suffering caused by the war, particularly among civilians. During a recent meeting with Jewish religious leaders at the White House, Biden made it clear that efforts are being made to ease the plight of those impacted by the hostilities, despite the ongoing military action. “We’re doing everything we can to ease the suffering of all the people from this war against Hamas and that Hamas started,” Biden stated, highlighting the administration’s stance on the conflict.
C14 Report: Hamas Attack Plans Released | Captured Hamas documents reveal plans to topple Azrieli Towers or Moshe Aviv Tower in an attack similar to 9/11, targeting military bases and shopping malls. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar requested hundreds of millions of dollars in 2021 from… pic.twitter.com/rCSozD3NYu
— dan linnaeus (@DanLinnaeus) October 12, 2024
Behind the visible destruction and human suffering, a deeper and more complex picture of the war’s origins and planning has emerged. Documents from 2021, reviewed by The Washington Post, provide evidence of Hamas’s calculated efforts to seek Iranian support for a major confrontation with Israel.
According to The Washington Post, a series of letters dated June 2021, signed by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders in Gaza, were addressed to key figures in Iran’s leadership. These letters included appeals to Ayatollah Khamenei, Ismail Qaani—leader of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force—and Sayed Izadi, who oversaw Palestinian operations from Beirut. The letters implore Iran to send more money and train an additional division’s worth of fighters in preparation for larger confrontations with Israel.
Sinwar’s conviction, shared by U.S. and Israeli officials, was that a large-scale attack on Israel would inevitably compel these allies, particularly Hezbollah, to enter the fray. Indeed, Hezbollah did engage in limited action on October 7, firing rockets into northern Israel, which resulted in hundreds of Israeli casualties and the evacuation of nearly 100,000 civilians from the region. However, despite Hezbollah’s significant military capacity, including tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of up to 100,000 missiles, the group stopped short of launching a full-scale assault, The Washington Post reported. This restraint highlights the cautious approach taken by Hezbollah and Iran, even as tensions mounted.
Report- Hamas planned 9/11 style attack with horse-drawn chariots on Israel before October 7
A document found the plan to destroy a skyscraper in Tel Aviv, the 70-story Moshe Aviv Tower and the Azrieli Mall complex.Khamenei and the Islamic Republic was fully aware of this, and… pic.twitter.com/1IgvmV5zqf
— Savakzadeh (@Savakzadeh) October 13, 2024
While Sinwar did not inform Hezbollah or the IRGC about the October 7 plan in advance, his strategic vision was built around the belief that these groups would join the fight when Hamas proved capable of overwhelming Israeli defenses. The document emphasizes the importance of “linking and preparing the external fronts (Lebanon, Syria, and Sinai)” and securing mechanisms for communication during both peacetime and conflict.
The letters, found in Sinwar’s command bunker in Khan Younis, paint a picture of desperation but also of fierce determination. Sinwar explains the extent of the damage Hamas suffered during clashes with Israel in May 2021 and appeals to Iran to help the group recover and expand its capabilities for the future. “We are in dire need of your standing with us with all strength, determination, support, and backing; first to restore our strength and what has been exhausted in this confrontation or what has been targeted, and to develop our capabilities many times over,” Sinwar wrote to Qaani, leader of the Quds Force, as was indicated in The Washington Post report. These communications underline the extensive reliance Hamas places on Iranian support, both in terms of financial resources and military training.
The documents highlight Hamas’s belief that Lebanon, Syria, and the Sinai Peninsula would be critical theaters of engagement in a broader war against Israel. Sinwar’s strategy hinges on preparing these external fronts for coordinated action in the event of a prolonged conflict. The report in The Washington Post indicated that although Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel and there have been exchanges of fire along the Syrian and Lebanese borders, the scale of the fighting has not yet reached the full-blown regional conflict that Hamas hoped to ignite.
Hamas planned to conduct 9/11 style attack on Israel before October 7-
A document plan to destroy a skyscraper in Tel Aviv, the 70 storey Moshe Aviv Tower and the Azrieli Mall Complex was intended to be far deadlier than the October 7 massacre that took place in 2023.
Read… pic.twitter.com/1cgEPvvQ09
— Shiri_Sabra (@sabra_the) October 13, 2024
However, the captured letters show that Sinwar was preparing for precisely such an outcome. His communications with Iran emphasize not just the need for immediate financial aid but also the importance of sustained long-term support. In one letter, Sinwar specifically appeals to Sayed Izadi, the head of Iranian operations in Beirut, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Damascus in April 2024. This connection highlights the long-standing cooperation between Hamas and Iran’s proxy forces in Lebanon and Syria.
While these letters outline a broad and ambitious plan, they remain vague on the specifics of how Hamas intended to destroy Israel. Israeli and regional officials contend that although Iran was taken aback by the sheer scale and timing of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, the broader outline of a coordinated attack had been shared with Tehran. According to analysts consulted by The Washington Post, Iran and Hezbollah had long been aware that Hamas was planning a large-scale assault, seeing it as part of a shared strategy to confront Israel.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Iran funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas’s military wing in 2023 alone, bolstering its ability to carry out sustained attacks. Despite this financial backing, Tehran chose not to directly engage in Hamas’s military operations immediately following the October 7 attack. Nevertheless, as the conflict has widened, with Hezbollah launching rocket strikes from Lebanon and Israel responding with airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, Iran has been drawn deeper into the conflict. According to The Washington Post, this has included two massive aerial assaults on Israel in recent weeks.
As The Washington Post reported, the decision by Israel to release captured Hamas documents has shed light on the group’s long-term planning and its complex, often opaque relationship with Iran. These documents, while their full authenticity remains unverified, align with the post-October 7 intelligence assessments conducted by the United States and its allies.
The authenticity of the documents obtained by Israeli forces, which The Washington Post shared with U.S. officials, has been a subject of interest. While U.S. intelligence agencies have reviewed some of the captured Hamas documents, none have publicly expressed doubts about their legitimacy. Several U.S. officials who were consulted declined to comment directly on the contents but did not raise concerns regarding their authenticity. Independent Israeli officials, who were not directly involved in acquiring the documents, also assessed them as genuine.
These documents not only provide a glimpse into Hamas’s ambitions but also raise significant questions about Iran’s role in supporting Hamas, both financially and militarily. Although Tehran was reportedly angered by the fact that it was not fully briefed on the scope of the October 7 assault, its financial contributions and strategic backing for Hamas cannot be ignored.
Iran’s influence over Hamas and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, has been a cornerstone of its strategy to challenge Israel’s military dominance in the region. However, the current conflict is proving to be a complex and costly endeavor for Tehran. While Hamas initially sought to draw Iran deeper into its confrontation with Israel, Tehran has remained cautious about direct involvement, despite being dragged into the broader conflict due to Hezbollah’s actions in Lebanon and Israeli strikes on Iranian positions in Syria and Yemen.
Moreover, a 36-page computer slide presentation discovered by Israeli forces at a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza on November 10, 2023, reveals additional details about the group’s broader objectives. This document, titled “Strategy to Build an Appropriate Plan to Liberate Palestine,” outlines options for simultaneous assaults across multiple fronts, targeting not just military installations but civilian centers such as shopping malls. The presentation, written in Arabic, contains detailed maps, photographs, and schematics that depict a sequence of attacks designed to paralyze Israel. According to The Washington Post, this document’s preamble makes Hamas’s ambitions clear: “We present to you this vision, which talks about the appropriate strategy for liberation in the near future, God willing.”
In response to inquiries from The Washington Post, Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied any sp
ecific knowledge of the allegations concerning its involvement in Hamas’s attacks. Instead, the Iranian spokesperson pointed the finger at Israel, accusing it of engaging in psychological warfare and fabricating evidence. “We regard the Israeli regime as a mendacious criminal, anti-human entity and place no credence in their illusions,” said the spokesperson. Iran also accused Israel of spreading “falsehoods, fabricating already-counterfeit documents, and conducting deceptive psychological operations.”
This response from Tehran mirrors a similar position taken by Hamas. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, declined to comment on the documents and records reported by Israel, but he also emphasized Israel’s history of what he described as fabricating evidence, as was noted in The Washington Post report. Both Hamas and Iran have chosen to remain vague, focusing instead on denouncing the credibility of the intelligence Israel has gathered since the ground offensive in Gaza began.
The scale and ambition of this plan sheds light on Hamas’s intent to go beyond localized attacks, aiming to cripple Israel through a series of complex, multi-pronged assaults. The presentation includes numerous maps and diagrams, showcasing potential routes and methods for mobilizing Hamas fighters. This level of detail suggests a high degree of strategic planning, which Israeli intelligence continues to analyze as the war in Gaza progresses.
The aftermath of Hamas’s attack and Israel’s subsequent military response has rapidly drawn the region into a broader conflict. In addition to Israeli strikes on Gaza, the conflict has spread to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, with Hezbollah launching its own series of rocket attacks from Lebanon. This expansion of hostilities threatens to pull Iran deeper into the conflict, even as Tehran publicly denies any direct role in the October 7 assault.
