Hamas tried to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to join October 7 attack on Israel, New York Times
According to a report from The New York Times, Hamas spent over two years planning the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and attempted to involve Iran and Hezbollah in the operation. The report, based on purported minutes from secret Hamas meetings found on a computer seized by the Israeli military in Gaza in January, claims that Hamas refrained from major escalations with Israel since 2021, intending to create a false sense of security. Although Hamas initially planned to launch the attack in fall 2022, the group delayed its plans to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to join.
The report alleges that in July 2023, a senior Hamas official met with Iranian commander Mohammed Said Izadi, based in Lebanon, to request assistance targeting critical Israeli sites. Izadi reportedly expressed that while Iran and Hezbollah supported the plan in principle, they needed additional time to “prepare the environment.”
Iran’s UN Mission and Hezbollah both deny the allegations. Iran suggested that the documents cited by The Times are fabricated, emphasizing that Hamas’s military wing in Gaza acted independently without prior coordination. Hezbollah spokespersons similarly denied any knowledge of Hamas’s October 7 operation, citing statements by the late Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
CNN has reached out to Hamas, the Israeli military, and the Israeli prime minister’s office for comment. The Israeli military declined, while neither Hamas nor Hezbollah responded to the newspaper’s requests.
