Al-Jazeera Program about the October 7, 2023, Terrorist Attack and Massacre

Overview ^[1]

• On January 24, 2025, al-Jazeera TV aired a special episode of the investigative program “What Is Hidden Is Greater.” It focused on the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre on October 7, 2023 [the so-called “Operation al-Aqsa Flood”] from the perspective of Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, from preparations to the attack itself.
• The program aired previously-unseen footage of Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, during preparations for the attack in the operations room, and Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, as he moved through the combat zone in Rafah before being killed in September 2024.
• The program promoted Hamas’s false narrative that the attack was intended only to harm Israeli military personnel and abduct soldiers and officers while not harming children and the elderly.
• In ITIC assessment, the program was broadcast to reinforce the “victory” narrative Hamas has been promoting since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip went into effect and to justify the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre as a “legitimate military action.” Al-Sinwar in the Rafah was shown in the combat zone to establish the narrative of the “fighter leader” who was on the front lines until his death, not hiding in tunnels. The details the programs revealed about al-Sinwar and Deif provided further evidence of the close connection between Hamas and Qatar’s al-Jazeera network, as did its correspondents’ exposure as operatives in the Hamas military wing and its exclusive permission to cover the release of Israeli hostages.

The Content of the Broadcast

• On January 24, 2025, a special episode of al-Jazeera TV’s investigative program “What Is Hidden Is Greater” focused on the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre of October 7, 2023 from the perspective of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing. The program revealed previously-unknown information about preparations for the attack, with quotes from Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades commanders and field operatives as well as footage of Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, in the operations room, and of Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, moving through the combat zone in Rafah before being killed in September 2024.
• The program promoted the Hamas narrative that the operation was a jihad justified by Islam, and that the “determination, heroism, and sacrifice” of the Palestinian people enabled the success Operation al-Aqsa Flood (the Hamas name for the October 7 attack). It also promoted the idea that the Palestinians had recorded “another historic chapter” by refusing to surrender to “oppression and aggression” and by making enormous sacrifices for Islam, their “homeland” and al-Aqsa Mosque.
• A program also promoted the false claim that the objective of the attack and massacre was only to harm military personnel and abduct as many of them as possible. A field commander in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades justified the attacks on Israeli civilians, women and old men by claiming that forces from the “territorial defense” participated in the fighting in the Gaza border kibbutzim, consisting of fighters in civilian clothes, and the directive was to target them, but not to harm children and the elderly. The program falsely claimed that Hamas terrorist operatives had “risked themselves to follow the directive.”^[2]

• The program’s featured guest was Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a member of the military council of the military wing and commander of the Gaza Brigade, who was a senior partner in planning and carrying out the attack. He gave the “reasons” which led Hamas to act and to choose October 7 as the date for the attack and massacre:
  • Israel’s [alleged] policy toward Palestinian prisoners: He falsely accused Israel of treating Palestinian prisoners harshly after transferring responsibility for them to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. He falsely claimed that Israel starved prisoners to death and killed them through medical neglect, imprisoning them for life under extreme conditions.
  • Damage to Islamic holy sites: He claimed that all attempts to exert international pressure to stop the “occupation’s [alleged] attacks” on Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque failed, and that the “occupation” continued to “attack, beat and abuse” without deterrence. During preparations Mohammed Deif was heard reiterating the lies that “The Jews want to build a temple on the ruins of al-Aqsa. They performed Jewish rituals on the mountain and declared the destruction of al-Aqsa and the building of a temple, while cursing the prophet in the mosque compound.”
  • The siege on Gaza: He accused the “occupation” of deliberately intensifying the blockade to lead Palestinians to “slow death.” He said, “We could not remain idle or watch from the sidelines.”
  • Fear of an Israeli preemptive strike: He falsely claimed they “identified signs and information indicating that Israel was preparing to launch a “devastating war” in the Gaza Strip immediately after the Jewish holidays through an aerial strike on all “resistance” factions,^[3] followed by a wide and destructive ground invasion. He claimed that Operation al-Aqsa Flood was initiated as a “preemptive, stunning response” to the “enemy’s systematic plan to strike it with an unimaginable surprise to defend our holy places, our people and our resistance.”
  • The economic situation in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria: He claimed they had warned that the difficult economic situation could not continue, but the “occupation” tried to mislead and neutralize the “resistance” in the Gaza Strip through limited improvement in living conditions and partial measures, aiming to separate the situation of the Gazans from the “struggle” in Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem and the prisoners’ struggle.

     
Right: Al-Haddad interviewed by al-Jazeera. Left: Al-Haddad brief terrorist operatives

• The program also reiterated Hamas’ conditions for ending the war, namely full withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, release of Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, lifting of the blockade and the reconstruction of the Strip. He said, “The occupation leadership, supported by America and the West, will have no choice but to submit to our just [sic] demands to end the aggression and withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip.”

Planning and Carrying Out the October 7 Terrorist Attack and Massacre Preparations

Preparations

• According to the program, the operation was planned over a long period of time during which the main obstacle, the border security fence, was studied in order to breach it when the time came. Information was collected regarding the thickness of its concrete, how it was constructed and its electronic warning devices. Visual intelligence on the IDF was gathered, including footage of officers and soldiers during patrols near the fence. One of the clips broadcast in the program showed footage of the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, Col. Asaf Hamami, who was killed on October 7 and whose body was taken to the Gaza Strip. According to al-Haddad, Hamas managed to obtain a secret document belonging to IDF intelligence through a security breach into one of its servers. He stated that the document was analyzed, translated and integrated into the strategic planning of the operation.

• According to the program, Hamas had fooled Israel into thinking that it had taken the bait of improved economic measures, while in reality, preparations for the fighting were under full steam. According to al-Haddad, Hamas informed its partners in the “resistance axis”^[4] about the general intention of the planned attack, but kept its exact timing completely secret, known only to a very limited number of people to ensure success.
• Al-Haddad noted that starting from October 1, 2023, Hamas’ military command held emergency meetings to approve the final plans and schedule for the attack. He stated that during the 24 hours before the attack command centers were connected to the main command room, assault forces were prepared and weapons were on high alert.
• The program also presented the original operation order, allegedly signed by Mohammed Deif two days before the attack and massacre (October 5, 2023). The document provided a detailed outline of the execution orders and set zero hour for 6:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023. Al-Haddad falsely claimed that the main objective of Operation al-Aqsa Flood was to attack the Gaza Division, destroy its bases and outposts and eliminate the security forces deployed along the first line of defense of the Gaza border kibbutzim. The attack on the Gaza Division, according to the investigation, was intended to paralyze the IDF’s activity throughout the Gaza border area.

     
The original operation order (the date October 5, 2023 is marked in blue at the left)

• According to the order, operatives were instructed not to use wired or wireless communication means, including the “special network,” to maintain the secrecy of the operation.

Plans to take hostages

• According to the program, the objective of the attack was to capture as many “enemy soldiers” as possible and transfer them to the Gaza Strip to be used as bargaining chips for the release of “prisoners of the Palestinian people.” As a result, Hamas planned routes for transferring the hostages and the sites where they would be hidden and held.
• According to Hamas’ version in the program, the Israeli “prisoners” received “humane” treatment, in accordance with the “principles of Islam.”
• It was also falsely claimed that Israel “chose to kill” hostages from the first day of fighting, with examples cited including tank shelling of the building where hostages were held in Kibbutz Be’eri and the “murder of three soldiers” [referring to three Israeli hostages] in Shejaiya.
• The program expressed admiration for Hamas for the success of the operation to abduct Israelis and for preventing their exposure to Israeli surveillance and intelligence operations.

The attack and massacre

• According to the investigation, with the order given at 6:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023, about 3,000 Hamas operatives invaded Israeli territory, with an additional 1,500 positioned at support and reinforcement points. Al-Haddad said the attack was closely coordinated, with ground forces invading simultaneously with aerial and naval forces, launching rockets and UAVs in coordination with engineering units. A field commander in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades noted that about 3,500 rockets and artillery shells were fired at Israeli positions in the Gaza Division, as well as at Israeli Air Force bases.
• With the breach of the border fence, Hamas forces began attacking 15 pre-planned targets from the air, sea and on land, [allegedly] focusing on military bases, primarily the Gaza Division headquarters. The field commander stated that after the bases were captured and had collapsed, the second phase of capturing the kibbutzim within the division’s area began, where officers and soldiers had “fled.”
• The program showed footage which was hard to watch of IDF soldiers’ bodies, operations rooms and military vehicles set on fire at IDF bases, as well as the capture of civilians in Gaza border communities. One picture showed Hamas operatives inside an IDF tank, apparently attempting to start it.
• According to Izz al-Din al-Haddad,

“Our attack was executed exactly according to the drills our fighters trained for. At zero hour, the first rockets were launched, along with swarms of UAVs and paragliders, together with naval commando forces. At the same time, thousands of operatives from the elite al-Qassam units [nukhba] crossed the border after the fence collapsed thanks to the actions of the engineering units, in a powerful scene guided by divine providence and inspired by the [Qur’an] verse ‘Enter upon them through the gate, for if you enter, you will be victorious.’ The IDF Gaza Division fell within a few hours, an exceptional success for Operation al-Aqsa Flood. The occupation failed to obtain prior intelligence on the operation, and its defenses completely collapsed before our operatives. Our fighters fought professionally and bravely, while maintaining ethics [sic] and responsibility on the battlefield.”

Hamas perspective on the results of the attack

• The investigation and interviews with members of Hamas’ military wing represented Operation al-Aqsa Flood as a resounding success, with far-reaching effects beyond the events in the Gaza border area and despite the war in the Gaza Strip. They claimed:
  • The failure of the “Israeli enemy” and the significant consequences of Operation al-Aqsa Flood can be seen in the continuous resignations within the “occupation army,” admissions of major failure, mutual accusations and a[n alleged] state of confusion and disorder within the intelligence establishment, with attempts to evade responsibility, especially at the political level under Netanyahu. Hamas also believes that criticism in Israel will continue to grow as investigations reveal the depth of the failure.
  • Hamas praised the resilience of the Palestinian public, calling it “the key to success.”
  • According to Hamas, after the “defeat” and severe intelligence failure suffered by the “Israeli occupation,” Israel [allegedly] began “taking brutal revenge” against the Palestinian people instead of confronting the operatives on the ground. Israel had direct support from the American administration and several Western governments, which provided tens of thousands of tons of military equipment to the “enemy,” aiding in the expansion of its “aggression against people, stones and trees.”
• Israel is struggling to fight Hamas because everything was prepared in advance, the ambushes, military compounds, tunnels and minefields to “defend” the Gaza Strip and the Gazans. Hamas claimed the battle was characterized by steadfastness, inflicting heavy losses on Israeli military forces, demonstrating the high level of preparation of the “defensive” plan.

New Information about Eliminated Senior Hamas Terrorists

• One of the most prominent revelations of the program was footage of the two highest-ranking Hamas commanders in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre, and the war that followed. They were Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip and later the leader of the Hamas movement until he was killed on September 16, 2024; and Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, who was eliminated on July 13, 2024. The objective was to reinforce the myth of Hamas’ fighting leadership being on the front lines of the conflict and not hiding in the tunnels.

Mohammed Deif

• The program showed what was claimed to be the first footage of Deif after years of hiding and absence from the public eye. However, Deif’s face was blurred, most likely because at the time of broadcast his death was still being denied.^[5] Despite previous claims that Deif had sustained severe injuries from past Israeli assassination attempts, the footage allegedly showed him standing and fully functional. It was the first Palestinian disclosure of Deif after Israel published his photo, which was found in materials captured by the IDF during the war.
• Footage broadcast in the program showed Deif in the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades operations room, examining maps with other commanders to note the historical significance of the operation. He was heard saying, “We must change the course of history, be the first in this phase and achieve one of Allah’s days when our flags will be flown.”

   
Right: Deif near a picture of al-Aqsa in the operations room.
Left: Deif examining maps with other Hamas commanders

• During the briefing before the attack, Deif was recorded instructing Hamas commanders to attack the Gaza Division headquarters in Re’im, advance toward and isolate the Israeli coastal city of Ashqelon. He said a raid of such a magnitude would confuse the “enemy” and prevent intervention.
• In another segment, Deif quoted Nizar Rayyan, one of the veteran commanders of Hamas’ military wing and a senior leader in the Gaza Strip who died in a targeted attack during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009: “Hamas is rooted in Gaza and no force can uproot it. Just as you are planted here, so am I. I have thousands of seeds in this land, and regardless of the tyrants’ efforts to uproot us, the seeds will sprout. I am here, in my beloved land full of goodness, and like it, my contribution continues on its path, without deviation.”

Yahya al-Sinwar

• The investigation revealed exclusive footage of al-Sinwar moving through the Rafah area, walking among destroyed buildings dressed in civilian clothes and disguised as an elderly man using a cane. In one segment, he was seen quoting Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi’s^[6] verse, “Red freedom has a door, upon which every blood-stained hand knocks.” This poem, originally written to protest the French mandate in Syria and Lebanon, emphasized the idea of armed struggle as a means of liberation from occupation.

     
Yahya al-Sinwar disguised as an elderly man walking through the ruins in Rafah

• The objective of showing al-Sinwar was to establish his status as a leader, present on the ground, closely overseeing the fighting. He was seen observing the hit on an Israeli armored vehicle. In another clip, al-Sinwar was filmed next to Mahmoud Hamdan, commander of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion [eliminated two days after al-Sinwar], as they lean over a map in a building in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. Hebrew inscriptions on the walls indicated previous IDF presence at the site.

• Al-Sinwar looking at ruins near a school, located just dozens of yards from his hiding place. The school is probably the Kamal Adwan School in Tel al-Sultan, indicating the presence of Hamas operatives near civilian facilities, as usual using human shields to protect themselves from Israeli attacks.

^[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications
^[2] In reality, dozens of children and elderly Israelis were murdered and kidnapped. Documents seized in the Gaza Strip revealed that the Hamas leadership in Gaza had instructed the movement's operatives to act ruthlessly against Jews, both soldiers and civilians, justifying the actions as carried out in the name of Islam. For further details, see the ITIC January 2024 report, "Documents brought back from the Gaza Strip indicate that Hamas premeditated its atrocities against Israelis and to kidnap and maltreat them." All pictures are from the al-Jazeera TV program.
^[3] Terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.
^[4] Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the Palestinian terrorist organizations, the Shi'ite Houthis in Yemen and the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.
^[5] Hamas confirmed his death the week after the program was aired, on January 30, 2025.
^[6] Ahmed Shawqi (1868–1932), an Egyptian known as the Prince of Poets, was one of the greatest poets in the modern Arab world. He is best known for his patriotic and social poetry, which focused on national liberation, social justice and resistance to foreign rule.

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