Sinwar memo outlines plan for 10,000-terrorist invasion fearing nuclear retaliation

A newly released handwritten document attributed to slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reveals that he planned a terrorist invasion of Israel far larger than the October 7, 2023, attack and anticipated that Israel might respond with overwhelming force, including the possible use of a nuclear weapon. The document, dated August 24, 2022, was recovered by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center on Monday, July 13, 2026.

The memorandum outlines a plan to send approximately 10,000 terrorists across the Gaza border in a coordinated assault. The blueprint called for 25 simultaneous breaches of the border barrier, each aligned with a strategic junction to be captured by groups of 100 specially trained fighters to obstruct Israeli military reinforcements. The broader plan allocated 2,210 terrorists to attack 221 kibbutzim and small communities, 1,600 to target eight larger communities, 1,200 to assault Israeli cities, and 2,000 to storm military bases.

Sinwar's instructions detailed the treatment of Israeli civilians during the envisioned operation. He wrote that the goal was to "expel the settlers with their vehicles,"...