Hamas planned to detonate bombs at Gaza refugee camps to cover terrorists' escape, IDF reveals

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Defense NewsPlans involved detonating improvised explosive devices around displaced persons camps as IDF troops approached in order to create panic, which operatives would take advantage of in order to flee.Follow us on GoogleA child carrying an umbrella walks near displacement tents in Gaza City, Gaza Strip on October 18, 2026. During the first rainfall of the season in northern Gaza City, rain falls on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians amid the rubble of destroyed buildings.(photo credit: Ibrahim Zanoun / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)OCTOBER 19, 2026 12:53The IDF revealed on Sunday a Hamas document detailing plans to plant explosives in and around camps for displaced civilians in the Gaza Strip, which would then be used as cover in case their leadership needed to evacuate the sites.The document, written in April 2024, detailed a plan that explicitly exploited the civilian population for the benefit of the terror organization's leadership and showed intent to cause direct harm to Palestinian civilians for the sake of minor tactical advantages, like "creating smoke screens, distracting the enemy, and divert[ing] their focus and efforts away from the primary objective."Plans involved detonating improvised explosive devices around civilian camps as IDF troops approached in order to create panic, which terrorists would take advantage of in order to flee.Hamas planned to plant bombs near routes used by Gazan civiliansThe document proposed planting bombs along routes used by Gazan civilians in order to delay the advance of IDF troops operating in the area.Additionally, Hamas planned to fire stun grenades into camps in order to create chaos, which would facilitate the escape of Hamas operatives.An internal Hamas planning document detailing plans to plant explosive devices adjacent to displaced persons camps in the Gaza Strip during the war. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)The IDF said, "This is further evidence that the Hamas terrorist organization is willing to endanger the lives of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip in order to advance its terrorist activities."Follow us on Google