Hamas propaganda expert explains Israel’s internal conflicts influenced Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault
He emphasized that he relied exclusively on primary sources: Hamas’s official website, the organization’s official newspaper, and the Al-Qassam Brigades’ website.
Israel’s internal crises, including its internal conflicts within the military and the issue of judicial reform, influenced Hamas’s decision to launch the October 7 attack, Lt.-Col. (res.) Yonatan Dhoah-Halevi said in an interview published Sunday.
Dhoah-Halevi is an OSINT researcher, a senior Middle East expert, and a specialist in tracking Hamas and Palestinian propaganda.
According to Dhoah-Halevi, events that began to escalate in Israel after December 2022, following the formation of the government and the deepening public crisis around the refusal to serve in the IDF and subsequent protests, were significantly reflected in Hamas’s media and Palestinian media in general.
He explained that in Palestinian discourse, any harm to the cohesion of the IDF and the use of the army for political purposes was seen as a process serving a clear goal for Hamas.
“The reflection of this on Hamas’s side was clear: they saw it as an opportunity, a golden opportunity,” he said.
Dhoah-Halevi went on to point out that while some in Israel insist there is no connection between the protests and Hamas’s decision to attack, quotes from senior figures in the organization indicate that they attach significance to the internal unrest.
An illustrative photo of Hamas terrorists with hostage demonstrations in the background. (credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90, Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
“I’m not saying this on my own,” he noted. “I’m just quoting what they are saying. Yes, this is what they are saying. They see it as a golden opportunity to realize the dream of liberation and ‘the return to Palestine.’”
Dhoah-Halevi further explained that immediately after the October 7 massacre, he initiated a research project to gather and document the statements, articles, and expressions that emerged from Hamas’s leadership in real time.
Dhoah-Halevi relies only on official Hamas, Palestinian media
He emphasized that he relied exclusively on primary sources: Hamas’s official website, the organization’s official newspaper, and the Al-Qassam Brigades’ website.
“I did not turn to secondary or external sources,” he added. “I presented what they themselves say, this is from their own mouths.”
