TEHRAN – For the first time, details of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, carried out by armed forces of Hamas, have been revealed.
In the first series published by Al Jazeera, Al Qassam Brigades released unseen footage of the Al Aqsa storm that occurred on October 7, 2023.
The film, titled “What Is Hidden Is Great,” focuses on the meeting of Hamas military leadership, how the operation was carried out, and what happened next.
Rare footage was also shown of al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohamed Deif, fully visible inside the military operations room, standing upright (ignoring reports of injuries) and putting the final touches on the attack plan.
“We must be the vanguard at this stage and change the course of history to bring about God’s Day of Raising the Flag,” Deif told military commanders.
The episode also featured classified documents containing an operational order signed by Deif on October 5, 2023, setting the attack time at 6:30 a.m. on October 7.
It also outlined key Israeli military bases targeted, including Iftah, Nahal Oz, and Kisfim.
The footage includes scenes with Hamas political director Yahya Sinwar, who played an important role in leading the resistance movement during the war, and a member of the general military council of the al-Qassam Brigades and commander of the military council. Contains special testimony from official Ezzedine al-Haddad. Gaza Brigade.
Al-Haddad said in an interview conducted under a complex security situation that the military leadership had been meeting continuously since October 1 to coordinate timing and oversee operations.
He added: “The Israeli occupation leadership, empowered by the United States and the Western powers, has no choice but to comply with our legitimate demands to end the invasion and completely withdraw from Gaza.”
In the early hours of October 7, thousands of fighters broke through the wall separating Gaza from the occupied territories.
The documentary highlighted scenes of al-Qassam fighters planting explosives in tunnels and detonating Israeli vehicles. It also showed elite fighter jets capturing an Israeli Namer armored personnel carrier.
According to the program, hundreds of Israeli soldiers and officers were killed in the operation.
The episode also featured exceptional documents and testimonies from within the military operations room, demonstrating the precise coordination between Al-Qassam’s leadership and the execution of the operation.
The report sheds light on Israeli efforts to target resistance leaders, including al-Haddad, who Tel Aviv has identified as one of the key figures behind Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
The investigation examined the details of the operation, which included surprise and complex attacks by the Al-Qassam Brigades on Israeli settlements and military bases on the Gaza border, and revealed the depth of planning that characterized the operation.
The wall separating Gaza from the occupied territories was breached, and simultaneous attacks were carried out from land, sea, and air.
Footage showed al-Qassam forces storming an Israeli military base and overrunning occupation forces’ tanks and military vehicles.
The program also captured footage of bodies of Israeli soldiers killed in the clashes and rare footage of explosives being detonated by al-Qassam fighters targeting Israeli military vehicles.
The footage also included testimonies from al-Qassam fighters who took part in the attack.
One of the fighters who took part in the attack on Kibbutz Beeri gave details of the clashes inside the kibbutz, admitting that the fighters saved civilian lives and only fought those who engaged them.
The fighters also revealed details of the operation to capture Israeli soldiers, which was carried out in accordance with their own security plan. One fighter noted that the large number of prisoners required large-scale Israeli reinforcements, which led to heavy bombing and complete destruction of the kibbutz.
The program noted that the operation was the result of a complex strategic deception. The Al-Qassam Brigades successfully convinced the Israeli military that it would not respond to Israeli escalation in the West Bank and Gaza.
The program also showed footage of Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas’s political bureau, leading a military operation against Israeli forces that had invaded Rafah in southern Gaza.
It chronicled the moments when Sinwar carried out several successful ambushes and operations against Israeli occupation forces during the ensuing genocidal war.
The footage showed Sinwar moving between ambushes against Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters, and planning military operations with field commanders.
He is also pictured standing in front of the targeted Israeli armored personnel carrier, confirming the resistance’s determination to continue the struggle until victory is achieved.
This episode, published by Al Jazeera, provided a comprehensive and detailed account of one of the most daring and complex military operations in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Exclusive footage and rare interviews reveal unprecedented details about planning and execution, highlighting the role of field commanders and combatants during the operation.
Since the start of the war, the number of casualties of the occupation forces, including soldiers whose names have been made public, has reached 5,656 wounded and 841 dead.
However, Palestinian and Israeli reports say the actual number of casualties is much higher.
Israel’s Channel 12 said the material presented on the program revealed the extent of intelligence failures during a period it described as “Black Saturday.”
Hebrew news outlets said unprecedented details about the operation revealed information held by Hamas before October 7, highlighting the extent of Israel’s security blindness.
The Israeli channel also highlighted scenes documenting the movements of Sinwar, disguised as Rafah and planning a resistance from the enclave’s southern cities.
In one video, Shinwar is seen examining a map inside a house in Rafah that was previously used by Israeli occupation forces.
The Israeli newspaper Marib pointed out that footage shows that Shinwar fearlessly roamed the streets of Gaza during the war.