Top Israeli official admits mistake in thinking Hamas was conflict shy

By Zein Khalil and Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi Duran

JERUSALEM (AA) – A week after a deadly attack that took Israel by surprise, the chair of Israel’s National Security Council said Saturday that he made a mistake when he previously said that Palestinian group Hamas had been “deterred."

"I made a mistake when I said Hamas was deterred after Operation Guardian of the Walls," Tzachi Hanegbi told a press conference, referring to Israel's Gaza attacks in 2021.

The setback Israel suffered on Oct. 7 “reflects the mistakes made in all assessments over the past years and especially in recent times, from which we thought Hamas, which was hit hard in the operation Guardian of the Walls, had learned its lessons," he added.

Hanegbi added that Israel dealt a heavy blow to Islamic Jihad in Operation Shield and Arrow this May when it asked Hamas for support but Hamas declined.

"This was one of the reasons why the Israelis thought Hamas was afraid of entering into conflict," he explained.

Denying allegations that Egyptian officials warned Israel that Hamas would attack, Hanegbi said: "I did not receive such a warning, nor did the head of Mossad or the prime minister. They did not contact anyone about this issue. This is fake news that not only we but also the Egyptians deny."

On the Israelis now held by Hamas, Hanegbi said that the government "gives importance to the issue of their return to the country" but that there have been no negotiations on this issue so far.

- Israel-Palestine conflict

Last weekend, in a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering over 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the south.