The newly uncovered message reveals that the October 7 invasion was never intended to be a limited or isolated terrorist attack. It was conceived as the opening phase of a much broader regional war aimed at destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist entity backed by the Iranian regime and its proxies.
According to documents captured by the IDF, Hamas leaders had already begun formulating plans for a multi-front war against Israel as early as 2022.
Additional evidence of this strategic coordination emerged two months ago, with details leaked regarding a highly aggressive secret letter reportedly sent by Hamas leaders to Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In the letter, the Hamas leaders urged Iran to "activate all fronts" simultaneously against Israel. They specifically called for coordinated military escalation from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and other arenas controlled by Iran-backed militias.
Most importantly, the documents expose the true objective behind the October 7 massacre: the total elimination of Israel.... Hamas leaders believed the assault could trigger a region-wide war that would overwhelm Israel totally in a "final solution."
[T]he documents demonstrate that ceasefires and negotiations with Hamas do not alter the group's core objective. Even while engaging in diplomatic talks, Hamas leaders were actively coordinating with Iran and Hezbollah regarding scenarios for Israel's complete destruction.
[T]he expose the failure of those in the West who continue to believe that Iran and its terror proxies can be somehow integrated into a stable regional order before fundamentally changing their ideology and behavior.
October 7, 2023 was not the end of the war waged by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies. In their eyes, it was only the beginning.
Documents captured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip should finally bury one of the most dangerous illusions: the belief that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime can somehow be persuaded to halt their jihad (holy war) and accept Israel's existence.
On the morning of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel, three senior leaders of the terrorist group – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Marwan Issa – sent a message to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah requesting support for the attack that had begun.
The message was found by IDF troops inside one of the main tunnels used by the group's leadership. In their message, the Hamas leaders, all of whom were killed during the Hamas-Israel war, demanded active participation from all parties in the Iran-led "axis of resistance," whether through direct participation or cooperation that would allow for the utilization of maximum possible capabilities. The text of the message addressed to Nasrallah stated:
"Our beloved brother, 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 consequences of hesitation will be severe and intolerable, exceeding any imagination."
The wording exposed Hamas's belief that October 7 represented a historic opportunity for a coordinated regional war against Israel.
According to the message, obtained by Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper, the Hamas leaders wanted to ignite a ring of fire around Israel, starting from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and possibly Jordan and any available place.
The newly uncovered message reveals that the October 7 invasion was never intended to be a limited or isolated terrorist attack. It was conceived as the opening phase of a much broader regional war aimed at destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist entity backed by the Iranian regime and its proxies.
The message, along with other documents seized by the IDF over the past two years, exposes extensive strategic coordination between Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. They show that Hamas leaders believed they were launching a grand strategic campaign involving the entire "axis of resistance" – Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, and other jihadist organizations aligned with Tehran.
The October 7 Hamas-led invasion was not simply another round of fighting between Israel and the terrorist organization. It was part of a coordinated regional project whose ultimate objective was the elimination of the Jewish state.
According to documents captured by the IDF, Hamas leaders had already begun formulating plans for a multi-front war against Israel as early as 2022.
Before the October 7, 2023 massacre, the Iranian regime and its proxies engaged in extensive strategic alignment under Iran's "Unity of Arenas" doctrine. Accordingto the Alma Research and Education Center:
"This coordination included high-level meetings, approval of operational plans, allocation of resources, and preparations on the ground in the main arenas of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon (as well as in other arenas: Syria, Iraq, and Yemen) over many months and even years preceding the [October 7] attack...
"The practical preparations for a coordinated attack began long before October 2023. Starting in the summer of 2022, steps were taken to coordinate the fronts from Lebanon and Gaza. As early as June 2022, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior member of the Hamas leadership, declared in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar (Hezbollah's main mouthpiece) that Hamas was no longer a defensive force but 'an offensive force, whose goal is to liberate the land [to conquer the territory of the State of Israel].' He added that 'we have a plan for the liberation of [Palestine]' and that 'the important thing is to move the next [military] campaign to the very heart of the entity [Israel].'"
According to another document seized by the IDF, then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh updated Sinwar about a secret meeting organized by Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Branch of the Iranian Quds Force, with Nasrallah. In this meeting, Hamas representatives presented scenarios for a campaign against Israel.
Sinwar, according to the documents, planned a synchronized attack from the entire Iran-led "axis of resistance" to overwhelm Israel's defenses from all sides. In 2021, he and other Hamas leaders wrote to Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani stating their objective: "The great victory and the removal of the cancer," referring to Israel's elimination. "We will never close our eyes, or remain silent, until we achieve this sacred goal."
In another letter to Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Hamas leaders wrote:
"This imaginary entity [Israel] is weaker than people think. With Allah's help, your support, and the backing of our nation, we are capable of uprooting it and removing it as soon as possible. We trust in Allah that we are close to fulfilling this divine promise, from which there is no escape."
The plans included exploiting periods of heightened tension, especially Jewish holidays, to ignite a regional confrontation. Hamas leaders also requestedextensive financial and military assistance from Iran in preparation for the campaign.
Additional evidence of this strategic coordination emerged two months ago, with details leaked regarding a highly aggressive secret letter reportedly sent by Hamas leaders to Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In the letter, the Hamas leaders urged Iran to "activate all fronts" simultaneously against Israel. They specifically called for coordinated military escalation from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and other arenas controlled by Iran-backed militias.
The significance of these revelations cannot be overstated.
For years, many Western diplomats and analysts insisted that Hamas was primarily a local Palestinian movement focused on the Gaza Strip and the conflict with Israel. Others argued that Hezbollah would avoid a major war because of Lebanon's internal collapse and economic devastation.
The captured documents demolish these assumptions. The documents show that Hamas leaders viewed themselves as an integral part of Iran's regional military alliance. The relationship between Hamas and Iran was not tactical or temporary. It was ideological, financial, and military. The same applies to Hezbollah. Created, armed, trained, and financed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah is not just a Lebanese faction. It is Iran's most powerful foreign proxy and a central pillar of the Iranian campaign against Israel.
Most importantly, the documents expose the true objective behind the October 7 massacre: the total elimination of Israel. The attack was not designed merely to murder Israelis, abduct hostages or improve Hamas's political standing. Hamas leaders believed the assault could trigger a region-wide war that would overwhelm Israel totally in a "final solution."
The Hamas documents carry important lessons for the US and Western governments.
First, the October 7 massacre was a component of Iran's broader regional war against Israel.
Second, the documents demonstrate that ceasefires and negotiations with Hamas do not alter the group's core objective. Even while engaging in diplomatic talks, Hamas leaders were actively coordinating with Iran and Hezbollah regarding scenarios for Israel's complete destruction.
Third, the revelations expose the failure of those in the West who continue to believe that Iran and its terror proxies can be somehow integrated into a stable regional order before fundamentally changing their ideology and behavior.
So long as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime continue to exist in their current form, the chances of another October 7-style massacre remain dangerously high. The ideology driving these groups has not changed. Their objectives have not changed. Their leaders continue to speak openly waging jihad against Israel and destroying it.
October 7, 2023 was not the end of the war waged by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies. In their eyes, it was only the beginning.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
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