Israel seizes trove of intelligence on Hamas in Gaza offensive, officials say

Israel has gathered a trove of intelligence during its Gaza offensive — with U.S. help — giving it a detailed picture of the inner workings of Hamas.

Israel has secured a trove of intelligence on Hamas during its military offensive in Gaza, giving it a detailed picture of the internal workings of the militant organization, according to an administration official, an intelligence official, a congressional source, an Israeli official and a former U.S. official.

The intelligence has been gleaned from hard drives, cellphones, laptops, maps and other material seized during Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as electronic eavesdropping conducted by the U.S., the sources said.

The information obtained by the Israel Defense Forces includes extremely detailed information about Hamas’ leadership, command and control, and communications, an intelligence official said. 

“They have more understanding and intelligence on Hamas than they ever had before,” said Matthew Levitt, a former senior official in the Treasury and State departments and now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“They have the HR [human resources] files and more. So their understanding of what Hamas was able to do is much, much more granular,” said Levitt, who recently traveled to the region.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-seizes-trove-intelligence-hamas-gaza-us-help-rcna144365

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