Iran Directly Aided Hamas With Training, Money, Weapons Before Oct 7 Attack, Says Israel

TEL AVIV: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said that Iran directly aided the Palestinian terror group Hamas before the October 7 attack on the Israeli border areas in which several people were killed and hundreds of others were kidnapped. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, “Iran directly aided Hamas before the war, with training, supplying weapons, money, and technological know-how.” 

“Even now, Iranian aid to Hamas in the form of intelligence and online incitement against the State of Israel continues,” the top ranking IDF official said that while addresing a press conference. It may be noted that Iran has acknowledged providing finance, training and supplying weapons to Hamas but has flatly denied a role in the attack on Israel. 

Interestingly, the IDF on Tuesday said that its ground personnel massing on the southern border were ready to ‘invade’ Gaza, according to The Jerusalem Post. Briefing reporters at the country’s southern border, IDF Chief-of-Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi said, “I want to be clear, we are ready to invade.” He added that the IDF was in the process of deciding on the ‘exact timing’ of the ground invasion of Gaza in coordination with the country’s political echelons.

Won’t Stop Until We Crush Hamas: Netanyahu

Clearing the air on Israel’s much-anticipated Gaza ground attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared on X that Israel has only one task at hand, which is to crush Hamas and it won’t stop till the objective is accomplished. “With the fighters in the field, we have only one task — to crush Hamas, and we will not stop until we complete the task,” the Israeli PM stated.

Israeli Navy Thwarts Hamas’ Sea-Borne Infiltration Attempt

Israeli Navy forces intercepted and thwarted an attempted infiltration by a group of Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip into Israel via the sea on Tuesday evening, The Israel Times reported. The exact number of Hamas divers involved in the infiltration was not specified by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), but Hebrew-language media reports estimate it to be between five and eight individuals.

The infiltration attempt triggered alarms in the border communities of Zikim and Karmia, which have largely been evacuated following Hamas’ October 7 assault on southern Israel. Only essential personnel and local security teams remain in the area, which has been declared a closed military zone, as reported by The Times of Israel.

The IDF responded to the situation by deploying a fighter jet, which carried out an airstrike on a compound believed to be the launching point for the terrorists.

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that Navy forces, including naval commandos, were actively searching for any additional members of the terrorist cell in the sea. They had identified the Hamas cell entering the sea from a tunnel originating from Gaza City’s coast. Navy forces engaged the divers, resulting in their elimination.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the sea-borne attack attempt and stated that its members had clashed with Israeli forces after allegedly managing to infiltrate into Israel. Later in the evening, another infiltration warning was sounded in Zikim, Karmia, and Netiv Ha’asara. However, shortly afterwards, the IDF Home Front Command declared the incident to be over, providing an all-clear signal.

The Israeli Navy has been successful in preventing multiple infiltration attempts via the sea, both during and following Hamas’s October 7 invasion of southern Israel.

Video footage released by the IDF last week showed members of the Navy’s Snapir unit repelling Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate via the sea on the morning of October 7. The IDF reported that dozens of Palestinian terrorists on speedboats and other vessels were killed during that assault.

Two days after the invasion, the Navy apprehended Muhammad Abu Ghali, the deputy commander of the southern division of the Hamas naval force, The Times of Israel reported.