Mossad Conducted Covert Operations in Gaza Before October 7 Attack but Failed

Despite officially distancing itself from Gaza, the Mossad carried out significant covert operations in the Gaza Strip a few years before the October 7 massacre. These efforts, revealed in a recent Channel 12 report, involved attempts to infiltrate and disrupt Hamas mechanisms in Gaza, with substantial financial resources invested. However, all these operations were exposed and ultimately failed.

Previously, investigations highlighted the Mossad's role in mediating Qatari funds that ended up financing Hamas, as well as its failure to intercept communications between Hamas abroad, Hezbollah, and Iran. A secret Mossad document from two weeks before October 7 claimed Hamas was deterred and interested in a ceasefire. The Mossad, however, denied responsibility for Gaza operations, stating that the Shin Bet prevented its involvement and that it had decided years earlier not to engage in Gaza-related activities.

Nonetheless, the recent revelations confirm that the Mossad did act in Gaza despite the official stance, but without success. The agency remains the only security body largely free from public criticism regarding the October 7 failure, underscoring calls for a state commission of inquiry. All details in the report were approved for publication by the Israeli censorship authorities.