One source said to CNN: “There wasn’t a lot of discussion and back and forth and coordination outside of the immediate area.”
Hamas hid the planning of the operation by conducting in-person meetings and staying off digital communications.
It offers insight into why Israel and the US were so surprised by the Hamas attack, which saw at least 1,500 fighters cross the border into Israel and kill at least 1,000 Israelis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refers to the tunnel system built by Hamas over the last 15 years as the “Gaza metro.”
The tunnels store rockets and ammunition caches, as well as provide a way for militants to move about unnoticed.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, who was one of two hostages released by Hamas on Monday, said she was taken into the network of tunnels after she was kidnapped and slept on a mattress on the floor.
One of CNN’s sources also said that commanders and fighters were only informed of the specific plans for October 7’s attack in the days leading up to the operation.
The source said: “That’s how you compartment and keep something that’s tight.”
A third source familiar with the latest intelligence said Iran has helped Hamas develop their operational security tactics over the years, but US intelligence does not believe Iran played a direct role in Hamas’ attack.
Israel discovered similar phone lines in the city of Jenin when Israeli troops moved into the northern West Bank this summer as part of an operation.
The IDF discovered secure, hardwired communication lines and closed-circuit surveillance cameras in the city.
At the time, the IDF said it had struck a joint operational command center used by militants in Jenin, noting it was used for “advanced observation and reconnaissance” and acted as a “hub for coordination and communication among the terrorists.”
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