The horrific operation on October 7, which claimed thousands of lives, was planned more than a year in advance, and Israel's military knew about it, according to a story published in The New York Times on Friday.

It was the most recent in a string of indications that senior Israeli commanders disregarded or downplayed reports that Hamas was preparing the assault, which led to a conflict with the Islamic terrorist organization that has wreaked havoc throughout the Gaza Strip.

The 40-page combat strategy

According to The Times, Israeli officials were in possession of a 40-page combat strategy that described a potential Hamas onslaught on villages in southern and was code-named "Jericho Wall."

It was unknown how Israel received the note, but the story stated that it had been translated, implying that it was in Arabic and intercepted straight from Hamas.

The Israeli military did not respond to the allegations, stating it was "currently focused on eliminating the threat from the terrorist organization Hamas."

"Questions of this kind will be looked into in a later stage," the statement read.

According to the article, numerous Israeli military and intelligence officers saw the document, however it was unclear if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other high figures saw it.

The note predicted that Hamas would launch missiles, utilize drones to cripple Israel's border security and surveillance capabilities, and take over southern villages and military posts. Another defense paper acquired by the Times in 2016 stated that Hamas wanted to send hostages back to Gaza.

The Oct. 7 onslaught, which murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped and transported to Gaza, would uncannily resemble the one stated in the battle plan. However, Israeli authorities brushed aside the concept, rejecting it as "aspirational" rather than anything that might actually happen, according to the source.

Hamas released a video on social media

The allegation comes amid widespread public outrage at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for failing to prevent an assault that appears to have been preceded by multiple warning indications.

The attack was prepared in broad daylight. A month before the attack, Hamas released a video on social media showing fighters blasting through a replica of the border gate, sweeping in on pickup trucks, and then moving building by building through a full-scale reconstruction of an Israeli town, firing automatic weapons at human-silhouetted paper targets.

In the video, militants demolished mock-ups of the wall's concrete towers and a communications mast, precisely as they would on Oct. 7.

Adding to the popular disgust over the military's apparent incompetence, Israeli media claimed that military authorities rejected warnings from female border spotters who cautioned that they were observing Hamas' preparations for the attack. According to media accounts, the young ladies saw Hamas drones and attempted to knock off Israeli border cameras in the months leading up to the attack.

Netanyahu has refused to apologize for the bombing, saying that judging culpability will have to wait until the conflict is over. Critics believe he is seeking to avoid accountability for the numerous intelligence errors that led to the worst day in Israeli history.

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