Hamas Planned to Use Gaza Civilians as Cover for Escape, Says Captured Document

Jerusalem, 19 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Hamas planned to use explosives and staged chaos to help its operatives evade Israeli troops in Gaza, according to an internal Hamas document released by the Israel Defense Forces on Monday.

The document, attributed to Hamas’s engineering department and date April 2024, describes plans to place explosive devices near camps housing displaced Palestinians. The devices would be detonated as Israeli forces approached, triggering panic that Hamas personnel could exploit to flee, according to the military.

A Palestinian child emerges through an opening in the fabric in front of his family’s tent in Gaza City, on October 13, 2026. Photo by TPS-IL

The plans also called for setting off stun grenades inside the camps to create confusion and provide cover for terrorists. Explosives were also to be planted along roads and other routes used by Gaza residents, potentially disrupting civilian movement while slowing Israeli troops.

“This is further evidence that the Hamas terrorist organization is willing to endanger the lives of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip in order to advance its terrorist activities,” the IDF said.