'Discarded Hamas raid plans reveal they assessed the threat posed by Kibbutz civilians, IDF response times and assigned tasks to individual gunmen such as cutting fences or taking hostages'
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Hamas assessed the threat posed by Kibbutz civilians, Israeli Defence Force response times and assigned tasks to individual gunmen, alleged discarded raid plans have revealed.
An Israeli emergency responder unit, in a Telegram channel, said the alleged 14-page operational plan was found in an field unit that was inspecting Hamas bodies found in a pickup truck.
The 'top secret' document, dated October last year, includes a raid plan on Mefalsim, a Kibbutz with '1,000 civilians', of which 20 are part of a rapid response team.
The plan involved the use of 'artillery' and instructed a team member to 'open a hole' in a fence. The plan also indicated that Hamas forces should 'take prisoner soldiers, residents, and take hostages for negotiations,' the responder unit posted.
It comes as, nearly a week after Hamas militants crossed through Israel's heavily fortified separation fence and killed over 1,200 Israelis in a brutal rampage, Israel is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza for the first time in nearly a decade.
The 'top secret' document, dated October last year, includes a raid plan on Mefalsim, a Kibbutz with '1,000 civilians', of which 20 are part of a rapid response team, according to an Israeli emergency responder unit. A page in the plan detailing tasks to specific Hamas members is pictured above
An Israeli emergency responder unit, in a Telegram channel, said the alleged 14-page operational plan was found in an field unit that was inspecting Hamas bodies found in a pickup truck. Pictured: An Israeli soldier patrols near Kibbutz Beeri on Thursday, the place where 270 revellers were killed by Hamas terrorists during the Supernova music festival
The discarded plan reportedly involved the use of 'artillery' and instructed a team member to 'open a hole' in a fence. Pictured: Armoured vehicles travel along a dirt track near the border with Gaza on Thursday
A page in the plan, with the Israeli emergency responder unit branded as the 'most important page', laid out 'tasks' of what is designated as the 'basic force'. The tasks allegedly included taking hostages.
The battle plan also detailed that the attack would consist of a commander and two squads of five people.
Hamas warned that an attack on Mefalsim could see additional Israeli forces arrive from the Nahal Oz area 'within three to five minutes'. The plan suggests these forces would arrive in two to three Jeeps along a specific road.
The emergency responder unit is seemingly still reviewing the plan. The group also said is working to determine the significance of the October 2022 date.
It comes as the Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that political leadership has not yet decided on one. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces 'are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if decided.'
Israel's government is under intense pressure from the public to topple Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. Israel has called up some 360,000 army reservists and has threatened an unprecedented response to Hamas' wide-ranging incursion over the weekend.
The Israeli military said more than 1,300 people, including 222 soldiers, have been killed in Israel - a staggering toll unseen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria that lasted weeks.
The Israeli military said it is currently targeting Hamas' senior military and political leaders, whom it blames for the weekend attack.
A page in the plan, with the Israeli emergency responder unit branded as the 'most important page', laid out 'tasks' of what is designated as the 'basic force'. The tasks allegedly included taking hostages. Pictured: Members of the security forces continue to search for identification and personal effects at the Supernova Music Festival on Thursday
The battle plan also detailed that the attack would consist of a commander and two squads of five people. Hamas warned that an attack on Mefalsim could see additional Israeli forces arrive from the Nahal Oz area 'within three to five minutes'. Pictured: Destroyed cars near Kibbutz Beeri on Thursday
The emergency responder unit is seemingly still reviewing the plan. The group also said is working to determine the significance of the October 2022 date. Pictured: Israeli soldiers patrol on near Kibbutz Beeri on Thursday
The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but that political leadership has not yet decided on one. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces 'are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if decided.' Pictured: Israelis arrive at a weapons distribution point for people allowed to carry arms, at the Ayyelet HaShahar Kibbutz, in northern Israel on Thursday
As Israel pounds Gaza from the air, Hamas militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Amid concerns that the fighting could spread in the region, Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday put two Syrian international airports out of service.
The barrage on Gaza - 6,000 munitions dropped since the conflict began, the military said - left Palestinians running through streets with what belongings they could carry, looking for a safe place.
A strike Thursday afternoon in the the Jabaliya refugee camp collapsed a residential building on families sheltering inside, killing at least 45 people, Gaza's Interior Ministry said.
At least 23 of the dead were under the age of 18, including a month-old child, according to a list of the casualties.
Ministry spokesman Eyad Bozum said dozens were wounded and the death toll was likely to rise as rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble.
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