The terrible massacre on October 7 in southern Israel left a whopping 1,400 people murdered and more than 200 kidnapped by Hamas terrorist forces. The operation, deadly and unexpected, far from being a miscalculation of violence to provoke Israel, was a success whose main objective was to destabilize the status quo in the area and redefine the fundamental objectives of Hamas as an armed group.
According to an extensive report in The New York Times, Hamas kept the bloody operation in Israel a secret from its leaders abroad and even key military allies such as Hezbollah to maintain secrecy about it and avoid any leak.
"In weeks of interviews, Hamas leaders, along with Arab, Israeli and Western officials who track the group, said the attack had been planned and executed by a tight circle of commanders in Gaza who did not share the details with their own political representatives abroad or with their regional allies like Hezbollah, leaving people outside the enclave surprised by the ferocity, scale and reach of the assault," the media's pages read.
The move, according to the Times, greatly exceeded the terrorist group's expectations in terms of casualties and detainees and also ultimately settled several internal conflicts of the organization, which had fallen into a lack of definition as to whether its historical objectives had changed after becoming the political controlling force of the Gaza Strip.
According to the Times, many members within the terrorist organization believed that its mission as an armed group seeking to destroy Israel to shape a Palestinian state was falling behind. Last month's massacre changed that internal perception.
According to Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas's highest leadership body, it was essential for the terrorist organization to "change the entire equation and not just have a clash."
"We succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm," al-Hayya told the Times.
According to the New York newspaper, Hamas leaders were surprised by the number of murders they committed during the massacre. They attributed the success of the incursion to the little opposition on the borders, which allowed them to take up positions in nearby communities and military bases quickly.
Taher El-Nounou, a Hamas media advisor, also revealed to the Times one of the true motivations behind the October 7 massacre: moving towards a situation of permanent war.
"I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us," El-Nounou said.
However, the strongest and most controversial revelation was made by al-Hayya himself, who stated that Hamas as an organization is not working to support the Palestinians with stability or resources but to fulfill its objectives of destroying Israel.
"Hamas's goal is not to run Gaza and to bring it water and electricity and such," al-Hayya said. "Hamas, the Qassam and the resistance woke the world up from its deep sleep and showed that this issue must remain on the table."
"This battle was not because we wanted fuel or laborers. It did not seek to improve the situation in Gaza. This battle is to completely overthrow the situation," he stated.
