JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In October 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published a captured Hamas document discovered in the Gaza Strip that was handwritten by Yahya Sinwar, then head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza.

The letter, dated August 24, 2022, contained detailed instructions for launching what Sinwar described as the decisive campaign against Israel, beginning with a deception phase in the weeks leading up to the attack and continuing through the breach into Israeli territory. It also included instructions to document atrocities committed against civilians and soldiers, as occurred during the October 7, 2023 attack.

A second captured document, also written by Sinwar on the same day, outlined the invasion plan in greater detail. It called for the rapid seizure of 25 key intersections and more than 220 communities, including kibbutzim, small towns, larger cities, and military installations. Sinwar estimated that carrying out the operation would require 10,000 “well-trained fighters.”

Sinwar assessed that the attack would catch “the enemy” by surprise but stated that he was prepared for Israel to respond with every means at its disposal, including “a nuclear bomb.” He described the operation as “a battle of life or death.”

The document also outlined the planned deployment of forces during the invasion, calling for simultaneous breaches at three main entry points that would take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. It specified the breach locations and the force structure required.

According to the Meir Amit Center for Intelligence and Terrorism Research, Sinwar believed the key to the invasion’s success was taking control of major intersections in southern Israel. His plan stated:

“Breaching the security fence at 25 simultaneous points opposite 25 intersections. Seizing the intersections using separate, highly trained squads, each consisting of 100 fighters—a total of 2,500 fighters.”

On another page, Sinwar wrote: “The objective is to drive out the settlers (residents of southern Israel) with their cars. Priority should be given to children and women. Men aged 17 to 50 should be taken hostage. All mobile phones and any documents they are carrying should be confiscated.”

During the October 7 attack, Hamas terrorists abducted women and children and killed many civilians, actions that the article says corresponded to the instructions contained in Sinwar’s documents. Approximately 3,100 Hamas terrorists entered Israel in three waves on the morning of October 7, joined by 580 terrorists from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

According to the document, however, Sinwar’s original plan envisioned infiltrating at least three times as many attackers. His breakdown allocated: 2,210 fighters to 221 kibbutzim and small communities, 1,600 fighters to eight larger towns and cities, 2,000 fighters to attack military bases, and 2,500 fighters to seize the key intersections.

He concluded the document by writing: “A total of 10,000 well-trained fighters.”