WSJ found out the target of the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023

The Palestinian Hamas movement attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, in order to disrupt negotiations on the normalization of the country's relations with Saudi Arabia. This was reported on May 17 by The Wall Street Journal newspaper with reference to a document found by the Israeli military in one of the tunnels in the Gaza Strip.

"On October 7, 2023, the top leaders of the Palestinian Hamas group launched an attack on Israel in order to disrupt peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to the protocol of the high—level meeting in Gaza," the publication says.

According to the newspaper, we are talking about the minutes of a meeting held on October 2, 2023, in which the former head of the Hamas politburo, Yahya Sinwar, warned about the risks of concluding a deal between Israel and Riyadh.

He noted that the agreement could become a precedent followed by other Arab and Muslim countries, which, in his opinion, would damage the Palestinian position. In this regard, Sinwar called for "extraordinary measures" to disrupt the process.

Arab intelligence officials familiar with the activities of Hamas confirmed to the publication the authenticity of the found protocol.

Peace order: Hamas is set for a partial deal on Gaza

Positive dynamics have emerged in the negotiations mediated by Egypt and Qatar.

On May 17, it was reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is planning to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

On May 13, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country's army would enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days to completely defeat Hamas. According to him, the fighting will not stop until the goal is achieved.