Hamas note found in Gaza reveals strategy of psychological manipulation of Israeli society

This article was updated to include corrections by the IDF regarding mistakes made in the original report by BILD.

During the course of their operations in the coastal enclave, soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces discovered a set of recomendations by Hamas operatives regarding the terror group's negotiating strategy, according to a report by the German media outlet BILD.

The note, purportedly found in a document on a computer from Hamas intelligence, lays out the terror group's negotiating strategy and includes instructions on how to maintain psychological pressure on Israelis, and in particular on Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The note includes recommendations such as: “Distribute pictures and videos of the hostages, due to the psychological pressure they create,” and, “Do everything possible to increase psychological pressure on Gallant.”

The document also includes plans to manipulate the international community to enable Hamas to recuperate its military power. “Keep spreading the message that Netanyahu is responsible for what has happened,” and, “Damage the Israeli narrative that claims that the ground offensive helps secure the return of hostages,” other recommendations read.

The IDF on Sunday released a statement correcting several mistakes in the original report published by BILD.

The army stressed that unlike the report had suggested, the note wasn't a set of instructions by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but rather recommendations made by middle-rank operatives.

The document was also discovered months ago and didn't include new information. "The leaking of the document constitutes a serious offense and will be examined and investigated by the authorized authorities," the IDF stated.

"There were mistakes in the publication of BILD - it is not a document written by Sinwar, but a document of recommendations written by middle ranks in Hamas and it is not at all clear whether Sinwar knew or approved it. In other words, the framing as if it were a 'Hamas negotiation strategy', is probably far from reality," said Army Radio military correspondent Doron Kadosh.

"Since the document did not reach the highest levels or the political level at all - this is an intelligence document that was apparently leaked from junior ranks in the IDF Intelligence who were exposed to the document," Kadosh added.

At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, before the IDF released its correction, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had addressed the original report, using it to confirm his policies during the hostage negotiations.

“Last weekend, the German newspaper Bild published an official Hamas document that revealed its action plan: To sow discord among us, to use psychological warfare on the hostages' families, to apply internal and external political pressure on the Government of Israel, to tear us apart from within, and to continue the war until further notice, until Israel is defeated," Netanyahu said.

“The great majority of Israel's citizens are not falling into this Hamas trap. They know that we are fully committed to achieving the objectives of the war: To eliminate Hamas, to return all of our hostages, to ensure that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel and to return our residents in the north and south securely to their homes.”

Netanyahu noted the document intended to pin failed negotiations on "Israel's stubbornness," emphasizing that Hamas leadership should not be "held responsible for the failure of an agreement” in the international media.

The document, dated from this past spring, was first published by BILD. According to the report, an image of the note was found on a computer believed to belong to Sinwar, who allegedly approved its content.

This was expressedly denied by the IDF, who said that the document had no known connection to Sinwar.

In their report, BILD wrote that the document “shows how the terrorists are manipulating the international community, torturing the hostage families and seeking to rearm,” adding, “They are just as indifferent to a quick end to the war as they are to the suffering of Palestinian civilians.”

Several factors are listed as key considerations to the ongoing negotiations. According to BILD, the Hamas document states that the "capacity of our armed forces" to operate against Israel must be maintained, and that Israel’s political and military apparatus must be "exhausted" while international pressure on Israel must be "increased."

Although admitting that its “military capacity has been weakened,” little interest was shown in bringing a halt to hostilities for the sake of the people of Gaza, instead favoring preferable conditions to an agreement: "Important clauses in the agreement should be improved, even if the negotiations continue over a longer period of time."

BILD highlighted the apparent lack of concern within Hamas leadership for their own people, pointing out, “the fact that thousands of Palestinian civilians were killed in the fighting is not mentioned once in the entire document.”

The document provided instructions regarding how to use the hostages for maximum leverage by exerting as much psychological pressure as possible through videos and media distribution. A calculated plan to allow the Red Cross to visit during a second ceasefire was revealed, in order to extend the opportunity to rearm and exploit Israeli suffering.

"During the negotiations for the second phase [of the ceasefire], Hamas will allow the Red Cross to visit some of the prisoners as a gesture of goodwill and to convey messages to their relatives."

The fact that Hamas is planning to grant access to the Red Cross at a strategic moment indicates that the medical aid organization is not currently able to conduct visits as a direct result of Hamas refusing that access.

According to the plan, Hamas negotiators should insist that "Arab forces be stationed along the eastern and northern borders" between Gaza and Israel. The explanation is: "The Arab forces should serve as a buffer to prevent the enemy from entering Gaza after the war ends until they [Hamas] have reorganized their ranks and military capabilities."

BILD concluded that Hamas is prepared for more fighting but this time with the support of Arab armies.