On October 7, Hamas’s goal was not the Nova festival - it was New York - opinion

Gil Hoffman argues that Hamas's October 7 attack aimed to return the Palestinian cause to the global agenda, not to target the Nova festival. He claims the attack was designed to trigger a narrative war that would isolate Israel internationally, a goal he says succeeded. The piece promotes his new book, 'The Blood Libel Machine,' which examines failures in Israel's media strategy and offers tools for online advocacy.

In this opinion piece, Jerusalem Post journalist Gil Hoffman argues that Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack was strategically designed to return the Palestinian cause to the global agenda, not to target the Nova music festival. He claims Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, were unaware of the festival but were well aware that the Palestinian issue was being marginalized as the Abraham Accords expanded. Hoffman cites a January 2024 speech by Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, who stated the attack aimed to bring Palestine back to international attention. The author argues that Hamas had a strategic plan for the narrative war, prepared by propaganda chief Abu Obeida, and exploited an army of journalist loyalists in international media. He claims Israel was unprepared on the media battlefield, lacking an English spokesperson or consul-general in New York on October 7. The piece promotes Hoffman's new book, 'The Blood Libel Machine: Exposing the Anti-Israel Hate Network and How to Fight Back,' which offers tools for fighting on social media and AI platforms. The article frames the narrative war as a top priority that Israel has neglected, warning that international isolation could enable future multifront wars.