The million dollar attack: Hamas and October 7th
Attack Profile
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Thousands of Hamas fighters breached the border security fence, infiltrating Israel through air, sea, and land, resulting in widespread casualties. The assault was the deadliest single-day assault on Israel in its history. Despite obtaining a detailed Hamas battle plan more than a year before the attack, the Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the operation as too ambitious for Hamas to execute. The attack marked a dramatic change in tactics and strategy for Hamas and revealed a significant Israeli intelligence failure.
The meticulously planned attack was the outcome of extensive training and preparation by Hamas, involving the coordination of multiple armed Palestinian groups. Through joint military maneuvers, training exercises, and simulations of attacks on settlements near Gaza, Hamas prepared for the assault over several years. The attack was enabled by Hamas’s strong finance network, which has allowed the group to generate roughly $1 billion in revenues each year, some of which was sent to its armed wing to conduct the attack.
Keep reading to learn more about how much the October 7 attack cost, and the opportunities that existed to detect and disrupt the attack before it occurred.
Attack Details
At approximately 6:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023, during the Jewish holidays of Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret, Hamas launched Al Aqsa Flood — a complex offensive against Israel involving assaults on land, sea, and air targets. Over 1,000 Hamas fighters breached 30 points along the Gaza-Israel border. The militants blocked roadways, took hostages, stormed military bases, and besieged towns. The invasion led to the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis.