Some 500 Hamas terrorists trained in Iran prior to the terror group's October 7 surprise attack on Israeli border communities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with intelligence related to the assault.
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According to the report, "Roughly 500 militants from Hamas and an allied group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, participated in the exercises in September, which were led by officers of the Quds Force, the foreign-operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."
According to the sources, the training in Iran took place in September and was attended by Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani and senior Palestinian officials.
The report comes after U.S. officials clarified in the past two weeks that while they are aware Iran routinely trains terrorists on its soil and elsewhere, Washington has not found evidence of Iran conducting extensive training for Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists before the October 7 attack.
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Hamas terrorists seen during raid on an IDF base near the Gaza Strip
(Photo: New York Times)
The newspaper emphasized that American sources and people familiar with intelligence related to the attack said they have no information suggesting that Iran held this training camp in September specifically in preparation for the terror attack on October 7.
The report also quotes the IDF’s chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who “offered most blunt comments yet” on Iran’s role in the attack.
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Weapons and ammunition seized from Hamas terrorists after October 7 attack, in Kfar Aza, near Gaza border
(Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“Before the war, Iran directly assisted Hamas with money, training and weapons and technological know-how,” he said. “Even now, Iran is helping Hamas with intelligence.”
The Wall Street Journal also mentions a previous report, citing senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials saying that “the Quds Force helped plan the attack and agreed that it could go ahead at a meeting in Beirut on Oct. 2 with leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah.”
According to the report, this claim was “disputed by senior U.S. officials and others familiar with intelligence surrounding the attacks. Several U.S. officials said Washington has ‘compelling’ intelligence indicating that Iranian leaders were surprised by the Hamas assault.”