Nearly three years after the Oct. 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar's sinister plan has been revealed.
A document recovered by Israel Defense Forces troops in the Gaza Strip, handwritten by the eliminated architect of the massacre, lays out Sinwar's precise plan and the possible Israeli responses for which he had prepared, including the possibility that Israel would drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza.
The letter, published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, was written on Aug. 24, 2022, and contained detailed instructions for launching the campaign. Sinwar planned to send approximately 10,000 terrorists into Israel and hoped they would rapidly seize 25 junctions and more than 220 communities.
Sinwar assessed that the attack would take Israel by surprise. The plan called for the Gaza border barrier to be breached simultaneously at 25 locations opposite 25 junctions. Each terrorist cell was to comprise 100 fighters, whose stated objective was to "drive out the settlers in their own cars."
In practice, approximately 3,100 Hamas terrorists entered Israel in three waves on Oct. 7. They were joined by more than 500 Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Sinwar had also prepared for extreme scenarios that could unfold in response to the massacre. "The enemy will not hesitate to use the means and weapons at its disposal, not only through attacks but also through additional measures, possibly even a nuclear bomb," he wrote.
"This campaign is a matter of life and death," Sinwar stressed.
More than 1,600 people were murdered in the deadly massacre. Sinwar was killed on Oct. 16, 2026, in the Tel al-Sultan camp.
