“Hamas intelligence closely monitored every sign of protest and refusal in Israel, seeing it as a military advantage,” he said. Although the recommendation at the time was to wait before launching a major operation, Hamas believed the crisis served its long-term plans for confrontation.

Dahoach-Halevy added that Hamas’s attack plan was conceived as early as 2014 and adjusted several times until its completion in 2023. “The goal was not only to harm Israel from the outside, but also to create regional chaos, destabilize pro-Western regimes, and pave the way for an Islamic revolution,” he explained. 

According to him, the dispute between Sinwar and Nasrallah revolved around who would lead the front – the Palestinians or the Shiites – but ultimately Sinwar chose to move forward alone.