They entered Israel on October 7 with a Quran in their pocket: the religious component of the Hamas attack
A study by the Amit Institute reveals the central religious component in the planning of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The study describes how concepts of jihad, martyrdom, and the struggle for the Al-Aqsa Mosque guided the Hamas leadership, headed by Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, in the decision to carry out the raid, with extensive use of Quranic verses and Hadith traditions to frame the campaign as a religious war.
A study by the Amit Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Research reveals the central religious component in the planning and execution of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The study, published in Maariv, describes how concepts of jihad, martyrdom (istishhad), and the struggle for the Al-Aqsa Mosque run like a thread throughout Hamas's history since its founding in 1987. The Hamas charter emphasizes that Islam guides all the movement's actions, and that "jihad is its way and death for the sake of Allah is its most sublime aspiration." According to the study, the decision of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, led by head of the political bureau Yahya Sinwar and military wing commander Mohammed Deif, to launch the attack was based on "rational" military and political considerations, but alongside this, the religious dimension had a decisive influence. The study cites captured documents discovered in the Gaza Strip, including a religious training kit that contained a Quran alongside books and pamphlets on jihad and martyrdom, found in the possession of Nukhba terrorists. The study states that the massacres in the communities and military bases in the Gaza envelope implemented Hamas's anti-Semitic concepts and religious rulings that did not distinguish between civilians and uniformed personnel, despite Islamic sources prohibiting harm to women, children, and the elderly. According to the institute's assessment, the belief in a divine promise of victory and in martyrdom as equivalent to victory led the leadership to make the decision, even when they understood that the Israeli response was expected to be powerful.