A Wall Street Journal article published on Wednesday (25th October) indicates that weeks before Hamas’s attack on Israel, hundreds of Palestinian terrorists received “specialised combat training” in Iran.
The publication cited individuals familiar with the intelligence surrounding the 7th October Hamas massacre in Israel, which killed 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians. As per the report, 500 terrorists from both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad took part in training last month led by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran has been accused repeatedly by Israel of serving as a key force behind the organised Hamas attack. The terrorists, during the attack, succeeded in disabling the high-tech Gaza border fence and streamed across the border to carry out its devastating assault on nearby communities, including the kidnapping of at least 224 people.
Iran commended the Hamas attack but denied any involvement in the planning. According to the WSJ, Iranian Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the chief of the Quds Force, participated in the IRGC-led training exercises. Hours before the report was released, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari publicly blamed Iran for assisting in the planning of the heinous act.
“Iran had directly aided Hamas before the war, with training, supplying weapons, money, and technological know-how. Even now, Iranian aid to Hamas continues in the form of intelligence and online incitement against the State of Israel,” the IDF spokesman said.
During the attack, terrorists from Hamas deployed drones to take down Israeli observation posts and high-tech monitoring equipment. Some also flew into Israel using para-gliders while others rode on motorbikes.
According to US officials, Iran has regularly trained jihadists in Iran and overseas, but there is no proof of widespread training before the attack. According to US officials and those knowledgeable with the intelligence, there is no evidence that Iran took training particularly to prepare for the events of 7th October.
Since the Hamas attack, Israel has carried out a massive air campaign, advancing on thousands of targets in Gaza. Israel is also planning a ground campaign in Gaza to counter Hamas. The country has stated that its goal is to demolish Hamas and terminate its authority in Gaza.
Israel and the United States have pushed to underline Iran’s role in helping Hamas and other anti-Israel organisations, including the Lebanese Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah, which has engaged in periodic clashes with Israeli troops on Israel’s northern border.
However, with the threat of a wider war approaching, the United States has stated that it has no evidence that Iran was directly involved in the planning or approval of the 7th October attack.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited senior Hamas and Hezbollah sources, the Quds Force helped plot the strike and committed to carry it out during a meeting with Hamas and Hezbollah commanders in Beirut on 2nd October. An adviser to Syria’s government and a European official have also confirmed Iran’s involvement.
According to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ‘scholar’ at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Iran has long provided training to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Gaza terrorists, Afghan mercenaries serving in Syria, Hezbollah troops from Lebanon, Shiites from Iraq, and the Houthis from Yemen.
This week, one of the hostages released by Hamas also confirmed that it seemed Hamas terrorists were well prepared for the situation. While she said that she had to face hell on Earth due to the terrorists, it seemed that the terrorists had planned and were prepared to abduct the Israelis.
After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a counter-attack on Gaza last week. Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the counter-offensive.
