Hamas spokesman says attack on Israel has been in preparation for more than a year

Preparations for the attack on Israel went on for more than a year; only a small number of senior commanders knew about the planning of the attack. About it reported representative of the Palestinian group Hamas Ali Barakeh in an interview with the Associated Press.

According to him, about six senior Hamas commanders were involved in preparing the attack. Barake also denied information that Iran allegedly provided assistance to the group and supported its plan to attack Israel. He confirmed that Iran and the Shiite group Hezbollah previously helped Hamas, but since 2014, he said, the group itself has been producing missiles and training militants.

A Hamas spokesman also rejected reports that the attack was aimed at derailing US efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Barake said the attack was prompted by a series of actions taken by the Israeli government over the past year. This includes “provocative visits to the holy places of Jerusalem” and increasing pressure on Palestinian prisoners in Israel. According to Hamas, Tel Aviv also has plans to eliminate the movement’s leadership.

Barake said Hamas had deployed “only a small number of its forces.” About 2,000 of the 40,000 fighters in the Gaza Strip were involved in the fighting, he said. Hamas is also counting on allies to help if the movement fails, he added. Barake also noted that Hamas is ready for a “long war scenario” with Israel.

On the morning of October 7, Hamas began military operations against Israel. The militants attacked army border units and entered Israeli populated areas, where they captured an unknown number of hostages, both military and civilian.

The Israeli Army (IDF) responded by launching Operation Iron Swords, and the Israeli government announced that the country had entered a state of war. On October 10, the IDF announced the restoration of control over all populated areas of Israel and the transition to the phase of the complete destruction of Hamas.

According to the latest data, in Israel, more than 900 people were killed and over 2,600 were injured as a result of the Hamas attack. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported 687 dead in the Gaza Strip, including 140 children, and 3,800 injured.