Senior Hamas officials have warned that the group is prepared to carry out another attack similar to the October 7, 2023 assault, potentially inside Israel, in the West Bank or abroad, Ynet reported on Thursday. The officials delivered the message to Dr Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN's Middle East humanitarian coordinator, when they met him in the Gaza Strip last week and asked him to pass it on to Israeli authorities, according to the report.

Source: The Media Line via SRN News (reporting Ynet)

Alakbarov passed the warning on Wednesday to Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy, head of COGAT, the Israeli body that coordinates civilian affairs with Gaza, Ynet reported. COGAT acknowledged the report, and Israeli officials cited by Ynet described the message as unprecedented in its bluntness and directness, saying a written account was forwarded urgently to Israel's political and security leadership.

According to Ynet, the Hamas officials said several developments were weakening the group's hold over Gaza and that they would not accept the situation continuing. They cited continued Israeli military operations in the Strip and changes to the 'yellow line' marking Israeli positions, and they pointed to Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas's cancellation of elections scheduled for November 28.

Separately, All Israel News reported that senior Israeli military officials have presented their US counterparts with intelligence assessments saying Hamas is rebuilding its forces for another large-scale confrontation rather than disarming, as the US-backed peace plan demands, citing a Thursday report by Haaretz. That is an Israeli assessment reported by Israeli media; Hamas has not publicly confirmed the Ynet account in a statement carried by the sources used for this story, and the reported threat included no date, location or operational details.

Source: All Israel News (reporting Haaretz and Ynet)

The warning comes while mediators press Hamas to surrender its weapons and Israel objects to the line-up of the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to govern post-war Gaza, according to the reports — a stalemate that leaves the year-old ceasefire under strain, with Israeli strikes continuing in recent weeks and each side accusing the other of violations.

What is solid

  • Senior Hamas officials met UN humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov in Gaza last week and asked him to relay a warning to Israel, Ynet reported; Alakbarov passed it to COGAT chief Yoram Halevy on Wednesday and COGAT acknowledged the report.
  • Israeli officials cited by Ynet called the message unusually direct and said a written account was sent urgently to the political and security leadership.

What is only claimed

  • The threat itself is reported by Ynet citing Israeli officials — it is not a public Hamas statement verified independently, and it contained no date, target or operational details.
  • Claims about Hamas's current capability to repeat an attack on the scale of October 7, 2023 are Israeli intelligence assessments reported by Haaretz via All Israel News, not established fact.