Hamas Tried To Convince Iran and Hezbollah to Attack Israel on October 7, NYT Reports

A new report from The New York Times (Lean Left bias) claims Hamas held “secret meetings” in which it tried to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to join the group’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, though Iran has denied the claim.

The Details: The report says Hamas aimed to convince the two “to join the assault or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel if Hamas staged a surprise cross-border raid.” The meetings’ transcripts were seized by the Israeli military and obtained by The Times. 

Iran Denies: Iran denied the allegations to Newsweek (Center bias), saying, “While Doha-stationed Hamas officials have themselves stated that they, too, had no prior knowledge of the operation and that all the planning, decision-making, and directing were solely executed by Hamas's military wing based in Gaza, any claim attempting to link it to Iran or Hezbollah—either partially or wholly—is devoid of credence and comes from fabricated documents.”

For Context: The transcripts also revealed other reported details about October 7, such as that it was originally planned for autumn 2022 and that the attack aimed to stop Israel from deploying a new air defense and continuing to strengthen its ties with Saudi Arabia.

How the Media Covered It: The Times described the documents as “representing a breakthrough in understanding Hamas.” Newsweek highlighted a report from The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) that came hours after The Times’ report that, in Newsweek’s words, “said it was unclear whether Iranian leadership was ultimately aware of the plots.”