Weeks before Oct. 7, IDF document said to have warned Hamas was planning to invade, take 250 hostages

A document put together by the IDF’s Military Intelligence’s Unit 8200 less than three weeks before October 7 warned that Hamas was training for a large-scale invasion of Israel during which hostages would be taken en masse, according to the Kan public broadcaster, citing unnamed security sources.

Chillingly, the September 19 document — which was ignored — estimates the target number of hostages at 200-250. During the actual October 7 attack, 251 hostages were taken as 1,200 others were killed, mostly civilians.

Similar reports are subsequently issued by other Hebrew media outlets.

The detailed document outlined a series of exercises by the Palestinian terror group’s elite forces who drilled raids on Israeli towns and military posts, including on how to hold soldiers and civilians hostage when back inside Gaza, and in what conditions they can be killed.

The document was brought to the attention of senior intelligence officials, at least those within the Gaza Division. The government and top military leaders have contended that they had not been warned about an imminent planned invasion at the time.

The report adds that the most extreme scenario the Gaza Division had prepared for before October 7 was dozens of terrorists breaching the border in three spots — far less than the estimated 3,000 who ended up entering Israel for the onslaught.