Hamas Sought To Derail Israel-Saudi Peace Deal With Oct. 7 Massacre, Documents Reveal: WSJ

Hamas launched its brutal Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel with the goal of sabotaging peace negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The evidence reportedly came from minutes of a high-level Hamas political bureau meeting on Oct. 2, discovered by Israeli forces in a tunnel under Gaza, according to newly uncovered internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. In the meeting, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s chief in Gaza, said that an “extraordinary act” was necessary to stop a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which he claimed threatened to sideline the Palestinian cause. (RELATED: ‘Hamas Out’: Gazans Reportedly Protest Hamas In Largest Demonstration Since War Began)

“There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalization agreement is progressing significantly,” Sinwar said, according to the minutes cited by the Journal. He insisted that the proposed agreement could prompt a wave of normalization across the Arab and Islamic world, a scenario Hamas found unacceptable.

Sinwar said, “There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalization agreement is progressing significantly.” He warned a deal would “open the door for the majority of Arab and Islamic countries to follow the same path.” pic.twitter.com/QvLYCZSPPc

— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) May 18, 2025

The attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people in Israel and triggered a massive retaliatory campaign by the Israeli military, has since claimed more than 60,000 Palestinian lives, according to health officials in Gaza. The devastation has sparked widespread condemnation, and it effectively froze the Saudi-Israeli normalization process.

President Donald Trump, visiting Riyadh this week, acknowledged the pause, saying, “You’ll do it in your own time,” referring to Saudi Arabia’s eventual recognition of Israel.

The Journal’s investigation—based on Israeli intelligence and testimony from Arab officials—adds new weight to previous reports that Hamas aimed to ignite regional instability. The documents reveal that Hamas had grown increasingly anxious about U.S.-brokered progress between Israel and Saudi Arabia, viewing it as a strategic threat.

Other recovered documents show that Hamas had been preparing for this moment since at least 2021. One internal briefing from August 2022 called on Hamas to reposition itself to “preserve the survival of the Palestinian cause” and push back against what it described as a “broad wave of normalization.”

The same cache included a job posting from October 2022 seeking a candidate to “market the movement’s programs to confront normalization,” with duties including organizing boycotts of pro-Israel entities.

Though Hamas has not commented on the authenticity of the documents, Arab intelligence officials told the Journal they appear to be genuine. The findings also align with prior reports of a meeting in Beirut on Oct. 2, 2023, between Hamas and Iranian officials, in which Tehran allegedly gave its blessing for the attack—though the scope and timing were reportedly kept secret.

While most Hamas leaders involved in the planning have since been killed, including Sinwar, the fallout continues. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly told diplomats he won’t move forward with normalization unless Israel ends its Gaza operation and commits to a viable path toward Palestinian statehood—an increasingly distant prospect after Oct. 7.