Hamas's violent assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, was reportedly orchestrated with the intent of derailing peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
This revelation stems from internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, which detail a high-level Hamas political bureau meeting on October 2. During this meeting, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, emphasized the necessity of an "extraordinary act" to thwart a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which he believed would marginalize the Palestinian cause.
"There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalization agreement is progressing significantly," Sinwar stated, as documented in the minutes cited by the Journal. He expressed concern that such an agreement could lead to widespread normalization across the Arab and Islamic world, a development Hamas found intolerable.
According to the Daily Caller, the attack resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 individuals in Israel and prompted a significant military response from Israel, which has reportedly led to over 60,000 Palestinian casualties, as reported by health officials in Gaza. The violence has drawn widespread condemnation and effectively stalled the Saudi-Israeli normalization process.
President Donald Trump, during a visit to Riyadh, acknowledged the delay, remarking, "Youll do it in your own time," in reference to Saudi Arabia's potential recognition of Israel.
The Wall Street Journal's investigation, which draws on Israeli intelligence and Arab officials' testimonies, lends further credence to earlier reports suggesting that Hamas sought to incite regional instability. The documents indicate that Hamas was increasingly apprehensive about the U.S.-facilitated progress between Israel and Saudi Arabia, perceiving it as a strategic threat.
Additional documents reveal that Hamas had been preparing for this eventuality since at least 2021. An internal briefing from August 2022 urged Hamas to reposition itself to "preserve the survival of the Palestinian cause" and resist what it termed a "broad wave of normalization."
The same collection of documents included a job posting from October 2022 for a candidate to "market the movements programs to confront normalization," with responsibilities such as organizing boycotts of pro-Israel entities.
While Hamas has not verified the authenticity of these documents, Arab intelligence officials informed the Journal that they appear legitimate. The findings also corroborate earlier reports of a meeting in Beirut on October 2, 2023, between Hamas and Iranian officials, during which Tehran allegedly endorsed the attack, though the specifics were reportedly kept confidential.
Despite the deaths of most Hamas leaders involved in the planning, including Sinwar, the repercussions persist. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly communicated to diplomats that he will not proceed with normalization unless Israel ceases its Gaza operations and commits to a viable path toward Palestinian statehooda prospect that seems increasingly remote in the aftermath of the October 7 events.
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