According to documents exclusively obtained by NBC News, marked as “top secret” in Arabic, two highly trained Hamas units were to encircle and infiltrate villages, focusing on areas where civilians, including children, congregate.
Israel Hamas War: 13 hostages killed, says Hamas, blames Israel
These plans, discovered on the bodies of Hamas terrorists by Israeli first responders, include detailed maps and demonstrate Hamas’ intent to harm or abduct civilians, particularly school children, the NBC report said.
One classified page delineates an attack strategy for kibbutz Kfar Sa’ad, directing “Combat unit 1” to “contain the new Da’at school,” while “Combat unit 2” is tasked with “collecting hostages,” searching the Bnei Akiva youth center, and examining the old Da’at school.
Another document, labeled “Top Secret Maneuver,” outlines a plan for a Hamas unit to secure Kfar Sa’ad’s east side while another unit controls the west, emphasizing the objective to “kill as many as possible” and “capture hostages.” The plan includes surrounding a dining hall and detaining hostages within it.
Kfar Aza, the Israel village where 40 babies were butchered
These detailed plans for attacking Kfar Sa’ad are part of a collection of documents currently under analysis by Israeli officials. Surveillance footage from October 7, showing Hamas terrorists entering a kibbutz, aligns with the tactics described in the documents obtained by NBC News.
Israeli sources disclosed that the broader set of documents indicates that Hamas systematically gathered intelligence on each kibbutz bordering Gaza, devising specific attack plans for each village that deliberately targeted women and children.
Hamas’ coordinated attack plans directly contradict their recent claims that they did not harm children. A video released by Hamas portrayed armed terrorists holding and feeding Israeli children who were taken hostage, including infants.
The Hamas documents, combined with footage depicting the aftermath of the massacre and accounts from eyewitnesses and first responders, reveal a distressing narrative. Yossi Landau, a commander of ZAKA, an Israeli first responder organization, described witnessing murdered babies, children, and mothers together.
Video: Israeli women walks through Hamas IDF Crossfire in Kibbutz, miraculously survives
Kibbutz Kfar Aza endured one of the most severe attacks during the unprecedented terror incident on the morning of Saturday, October 7. The Hamas maps obtained by NBC News delineate blue circles around Kfar Sa’ad and three other neighboring villages: Kfar Aza, Nahal Oz, and Alumim.
According to the documents, two Hamas units were directed to approach Kfar Sa’ad from separate assembly points, specifying the number and type of vehicles for each group. The degree of planning aimed at maximizing civilian casualties astounded an IDF official, who emphasized the unprecedented level of detailed planning for a mass terrorist attack. The investigation into these events is ongoing.
Gaza faces evacuation deadline as Israel gets ready for ground offensive
Over a million Palestinians in northern Gaza faced a deadline set by Israel on Saturday to move south, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that Israel’s retaliation for last week’s Hamas attack across southern Israel had just begun.
Israel has pledged to obliterate Hamas for their attack a week ago, during which their fighters killed 1,300 Israelis, primarily civilians, and took numerous hostages.
Following the attack, Israel imposed a total siege on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and subjected it to unprecedented air strikes. According to Gaza authorities, the death toll has reached 1,900 people.
On Friday, more than a million residents in northern Gaza received a 24-hour notice from Israel to evacuate south before an anticipated ground offensive. Despite this, Hamas pledged to fight until the end and advised residents to remain in their homes.
(With inputs from agencies)