Sinwar believed Israel might respond to October 7 Hamas invasion with nuclear weapons

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar believed Israel might resort to using nuclear weapons in response to the October 7 invasion of Gaza, according to a handwritten document revealed Monday by the Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute. The document, dated August 24, 2022, is part of a series of Hamas documents captured by the IDF during its counter-invasion of Gaza.

This latest document delves into the nuclear weapons scenario more deeply than previous ones. Sinwar wrote, "Defense plan: The enemy will not hesitate to use all the means and weapons at its disposal, not only through attack but also by other means. It may even use a nuclear bomb." He also stated that Israel would mount a powerful response, and that the operation was a "battle of life or death."

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Defense plan: The enemy will not hesitate to use all the means and weapons at its disposal, not only through attack but also by other means. It may even use a nuclear bomb. But first it will be surprised by the attack and descend into chaos. As an additional precaution, a popular operation should be organized to return to the villages and symbolically reoccupy them. This campaign is a battle of life or death, and there will be life, with Allah’s help.

Despite acknowledging the real risk of nuclear retaliation, Sinwar "did not abandon his messianic vision and emphasized that it would be a 'battle of life or death,' even if the price was the destruction of the Gaza Strip," the Amit Institute wrote. He also outlined a plan for an invasion force of up to 10,000 Hamas fighters to attack over 200 Israeli communities and IDF outposts.

In contrast, the actual invasion on October 7 involved approximately 2,000 Hamas terrorists in the first wave, a similar number in the second wave, and an additional around 1,600 untrained Gazans in the third wave, totaling about 5,600 invaders. Sinwar's document also warned that the window of opportunity for achieving surprise was six to ten hours, during which Israel's counteroffensive capability had to be impeded. He also suggested organizing a popular operation to symbolically reoccupy villages as a precaution.

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he did not abandon his messianic vision and emphasized that it would be a 'battle of life or death,' even if the price was the destruction of the Gaza Strip