Sinwar Memo Anticipated Israeli Nuclear Response Before October 7 Attack

A newly published handwritten memo by former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar shows he assessed before the October 7 invasion that Israel would mount a powerful response and "may even use an atomic bomb." The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center released the August 24, 2022 document as part of an ongoing series of captured Hamas files. Sinwar wrote that despite the risk, the assault would be a "battle of life or death" and outlined plans for roughly 10,000 fighters to seize 25 border junctions and more than 220 Israeli communities. The document also called for a popular Palestinian follow-up wave to symbolically reoccupy Israeli villages.