Hamas had a detailed plan to develop paragliders as an alternative Air Force, according to a document received by Fox News and published on Monday. On October 7, Hamas terrorists used paragliders to infiltrate Israeli communities and massacre them. Fox News did not specify when the document was prepared, where or when it was seized.
The Hamas document, originally in Arabic and translated into English shows how the terror group was looking to exploit its wider use. "The sport should be developed so that the paragliders become motorized. Areas where the sport can be exploited from a military aspect: Landing behind enemy lines, as part of a silent infiltration across the border using paragliders," it read.
The document continued, "This can be done using silent launch positions. Camouflage of military experiments and training. Reducing costs through the dual use as civilian experiments. Opening the possibility of utilizing civilian activity in other sports that can benefit military activities. Gaining benefits from foreign information obtained through civilian activities."
"Vision: Establishing a military and civilian aviation force in service of the liberation project. Problem: The occupation is working to prevent the establishment of this force and is fighting against it with all means. One of the solutions: Expose this pattern and work towards integrating it into society in a way that prevents the enemy from ending it. Create a reality that forces the enemy to accept it in some form," the document reads
According to the Hamas plan of action, the "steps" necessary to mainstream the paraglider array in Gaza involved several actions. "Conduct personal civilian experiments with paragliders, and publish them on social networks and in the global press. Work to attract the attention of adventurous young people to engage in such sports. Establish a special club for this sport in the Strip and encourage a spirit of competition to spread the sport more widely. Create groups and pages on social networks to showcase the beauty and fundamentals of this sport. The Ministry of Youth and Sports must support the sport. The sport should be connected to the global paragliding association, FAI."
Hamas terrorists infiltrated Kfar Aza on October 7 as part of the wide-scale massacre by foot, car, and paragliders. One of the victims of the Hamas paraglider force was Ynet photographer Roy Edan who was killed along with his wife Smadar. Their daughter, Abigail, was kidnapped into Gaza and later was released in a hostage release deal.
At the end of October last year, the IDF said they had killed the head of the Hamas Aerial Unit, Asem Abu Raffa, in an airstrike. Abu Raffa was known as the man responsible for the Hamas paragliding array. He took part in the terrorist attack on October 7, and directed the terrorists who infiltrated the Gaza border communities, as well as the drone attacks directed at the IDF outposts.