In recordings revealed Sunday by Israel's public broadcaster Kan, Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar is heard saying "The war cabinet gave us an objective, eliminate Hamas, and we are determined to do so. This is our Munich," referring to the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
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In the recordings Bar is addressing for the first time the October 7 Hamas terror attack, saying "We are already learning our lessons from the events."
The Shin Bet head said it will be done anywhere needed, "In Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar. Even if it takes years, we will be there to do it. Security responsibility is ours. Our duty is to provide both security and a sense of security. Unfortunately, on October 7, we did not succeed in doing that. I think we are on an upward trajectory."
Concerning ongoing operations, Bar said: "We are not waiting. We are already learning our lessons from the events, already passing them on to other sectors, not just to the Gaza Strip, of course. The scope of threats facing the State of Israel has been unprecedented in the past year, even before these events. Even in this case, the main issues are hidden from view. Many things are happening beneath the surface."
Senior Hamas leadership members reside in four key locations outside Gaza and the West Bank: Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar and Iran.
Ismail Haniyeh, 61, the movement's chairman and head of Hamas' political bureau, travels between Istanbul and Doha. Khaled Mashal, 58, in charge of Hamas' international activities, is also shuttling between Istanbul and Doha.
Salah al-Arouri, 57, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau and responsible for the movement's military activities in the West Bank, is based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Musa Abu Marzook, 72, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, mainly moves between Damascus and Cairo.
Khalil al-Haya, 63, head of Hamas' media office and Yahya Sinwar's deputy, resides in Qatar, as does Razi Hamad, 59, another member of Hamas' political bureau, along with about 10 other senior figures.