Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) revealed this morning (Sunday) a series of alarming posts that appeared on a Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel the night before the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. His analysis suggests that different preparedness measures might have been possible had this intelligence been monitored and analyzed in real time.
The infiltration of Gaza terrorists into Israel on Oct. 7 was preceded by explicit Telegram warnings, as documented in Arab network footage. The channel contained more than just overt threats against Israel – it served as a repository of detailed military instruction materials, encompassing combat methodology, concealment techniques, and explosives handling.
The researcher's findings show that Hamas' intentions were telegraphed as early as September 2023, with explicit messages describing plans to target the communities along the Gaza border and execute a comprehensive attack.
The investigation revealed that warning signals about Hamas' planned dawn attack on Oct. 7 were disseminated through the "Military Tactics" Telegram channel, known to be affiliated with Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
The channel's administration and ownership were attributed to Hamam Rashid al-Masri, a terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7 attack and was later killed in November.
A series of increasingly explicit hints and threats appeared on the Telegram channel between 00:20 and 00:26 on Oct. 7, 2023. The messages, accompanied by the researcher's contextual analysis in brackets, were as follows:
12:20 a.m.: "5,12 people of dawn are people of Allah." [The numerical reference likely corresponds to morning prayer times – 05:20 in Gaza and 05:13 in Ramallah. In Islamic tradition, dawn prayer carries special significance, marking practitioners as devoted followers and guaranteeing divine blessing. The message appears to link this sacred time with the impending attack.]
12:22 a.m.: "We say to the Zionist enemy, no one has experienced [the action] that will come to you."
12:22 a.m.: "There are many many many many many surprises."
12:23 a.m.: "We swear by Allah, we will humiliate you and destroy you completely, and the next phase will be difficult for you and all the cowardly settlers."
12:23 a.m.: "The pure rifles are loaded, and your heads are the target."
12:25 a.m.: "We will fight you in all [combat] arenas, and al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas] and al-Quds Brigades [Islamic Jihad] will roar with a thunder of gunfire and explosions in every [combat] arena, to the extent that media will be flooded with urgent reports about casualties and severe injuries in enemy forces' ranks."
12:25 a.m.: "Your attacks against [mosque] al-Aqsa in recent times will return to you in fire and flame."
12:26 a.m.: "You have been warned. What's coming will be massive." [Accompanied by three emojis: a hand gesturing to wait, a flame of fire, and a green heart – Hamas and Islamic colors].
The researcher's investigation extended to September 2023, revealing additional warning signs posted three weeks before the Hamas attack on another Telegram channel connected to al-Masri, who identified himself as an "al-Qassam Brigades writer."
A particularly telling message from September 2023 read: "[Message] to Gaza border settlers: before it's too late, run and leave, as we have made an unequivocal decision that has no mercy in it. We will turn your skulls into a bridge over which we will cross to Jerusalem and al-Aqsa [mosque]. You are deluding yourselves about your weak army and crumbling government. Nothing will help you except escape. Woe to you from our coming hours [our actions in the near future] which will bring you what no eye has seen and no ear has heard. The revolutionary youth, Gaza Strip. Monday, September 18."
