Secret Hamas document reportedly raised the possibility of canceling the planned October 7 invasion months before October 7, 2023.By World Israel News StaffA newly publicized Hamas document suggests that senior leaders of the terrorist organization discussed canceling their planned assault on Israel months before the October 7, 2023, massacre if Israel met certain conditions concerning the Al-Aqsa Mosque and jailed Palestinian terrorists.The document, dated February 11, 2023, appears in a promotional video for an upcoming Al Jazeera documentary about Mohammed Deif, the former commander of Hamas’ military wing and one of the chief architects of the October 7 attack.The Qatari broadcaster is scheduled to air the investigative program on Friday, October 30, promising previously unseen material about the terrorist organization’s preparations for the assault that killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 hostages.According to the document, Hamas leaders considered abandoning an operation identified by the codename “Project Fahd” if Israeli actions involving the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian prisoners came to an end.“It was agreed that if the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the prisons cease, Project Fahd will be canceled,” the document states, according to a translation published by Israel Hayom.The purported meeting minutes indicate that Hamas commanders were already discussing preparations for a major attack on Israel eight months before the massacre, while presenting the operation as a response to Israeli policies.Hamas-affiliated Palestinian media outlets have described the proposed assault as an operation intended to “deter Israel,” emphasizing the document’s suggestion that military action could have been avoided through political measures.However, the full document has not yet been publicly examined independently, and the available excerpts do not establish whether Hamas leaders genuinely intended to cancel the attack or whether the condition reflected an internal justification for plans already underway.The promotional material identifies participants in the February meeting through aliases rather than their full names, including Abu Ibrahim Yahya, Ali, Saad and Abu Ibrahim.One of the names may refer to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip at the time, who was known by the nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim. However, his participation has not been conclusively established.It also remains unclear whether Deif personally attended the meeting or helped prepare the document.The planned documentary, part of Al Jazeera‘s investigative series *What Is Hidden Is Greater*, will focus on Deif’s role in preparing the October 7 attack and is expected to present additional internal records from Hamas’ military leadership.Its promotional video concludes with footage showing Deif from behind as he walks through Hamas’ underground tunnel network in Gaza.Al Jazeera previously broadcast footage of Deif in January 2025, including images recorded inside Hamas’ operations command center before the attack.The latest document comes amid a series of revelations concerning the extensive preparations undertaken by Hamas in the years preceding October 7.Earlier documents recovered by Israeli forces indicate that Sinwar and his commanders began developing plans for a large-scale invasion of southern Israel well before 2023.An August 24, 2022, memorandum attributed to Sinwar outlined proposals for seizing Israeli communities and military installations, taking hostages and distributing footage of attacks to spread fear among the Israeli population.The document, later examined by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, described plans involving more than 200 Israeli communities and 25 major junctions.Sinwar also considered the possibility of an exceptionally severe Israeli military response, including a nuclear strike against Gaza, but continued preparing the operation.Other internal Hamas records have pointed to an additional strategic objective: disrupting negotiations toward diplomatic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.Minutes of a Hamas leadership meeting in September 2023, revealed earlier this year, show that Sinwar feared a Saudi-Israeli agreement would weaken the Palestinian cause and undermine Hamas’ regional position.“We may not succeed in stopping the process, but we will disrupt it and deprive it of legitimacy,” Sinwar said, according to the previously disclosed minutes.At another meeting on October 2, just five days before the massacre, Sinwar argued that an extraordinary military operation was necessary to prevent further normalization between Israel and Arab countries.Those documents suggest that Hamas’ calculations extended beyond the immediate issues of Al-Aqsa and Palestinian prisoners cited in the February meeting.A separate Israeli military investigation, reported in February 2025, also indicated that Deif briefly considered postponing the assault in the early hours of October 7, after the absence of Israeli military activity raised concerns that Hamas’ preparations had been discovered.He ultimately allowed the attack to proceed.The post Hamas nearly canceled October 7 invasion – report appeared first on World Israel News.