The National newspaper revealed, citing Egyptian security officials, that the political leaders of the Hamas movement had no prior knowledge of the surprise attack launched by their military wing against Israel a few days ago.
Most of the movement’s political leaders have been living in exile outside the Gaza Strip, which has been ruled by Hamas for years, which has deepened the division between them and the movement’s military wing known as the Qassam Brigades, which leads the ongoing fighting with Israel.
Egyptian officials said that a small number of Hamas leaders in Gaza, perhaps only about three, from the Qassam Brigades, knew of the attack in advance. As a precautionary measure so that information would not leak, they received information that the operation would begin after 48 hours.
The element of surprise was an essential part of the military success of the Hamas-led attack on Saturday, and questions have been raised about the failure of Israeli military intelligence. The main challenge facing Palestinian groups in the past has been infiltration by Israeli agents or leaks.
One Egyptian official said: “The so-called historical leaders of Hamas living in exile first learned about the operation from TV news channels like everyone else.” This is a shift in the power dynamics of Hamas, with the military wing now taking the lead ahead of its political leadership.
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2023-10-09 10:01:11
