Israel releases documents it claims it found on dead Hamas fighters' bodies By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent in Tel Aviv

The IDF has released documents and videos that it claims it discovered on the bodies of Hamas fighters.

One booklet is an Arabic to Hebrew phrasebook, found in the Re’im area and with translations which the Israeli military say helped Hamas fighters communicate with hostages. Among the 45 phrases are sentences including “Where is the Head of the kibbutz?” and “We will kill the hostages.”

The IDF says that hundreds of computers have been seized with millions of files on, as well as thousands of hours of footage from GoPro cameras worn by Hamas fighters.

Although some of the material has been released for publication, much of it has remained "top secret" although we have been given clearance to write about what we saw.

A book has instructions and diagrams showing fighters which points to attack Israeli armoured vehicles and tanks.

A map discovered inside Gaza itself reveals Hamas bases and command posts highlighted in pink; one Hamas video taken from a drone shows it crossing the Gaza-Israel border fence and attempting to land on an Israeli tank to detonate, but it hits an aerial and crash lands. The fighters took medicine and food with them, expecting to stay in Israel for a long period and Israel claims it has evidence proving that Hamas wanted to extend its invasion deeper into Israel, including the outskirts of Jerusalem and close to Tel Aviv.

Much of the material doesn’t relate directly to the attacks, such as wedding photos on mobile phones and everyday items in vehicles, suggesting many of the fighters weren’t aware the attacks would happen until the last moment.

Documents and video pertaining to the tunnel network below Gaza suggests it is more extensive than Israel realised and that some of the tunnels are large enough to drive lorries through.

And, according to the material Israel claims it found, different Hamas units were given specific booklets for their task, with mission statements such as "Attack Kibbutz Alumim with the goal of causing deaths, take hostages and settle inside until another order is issued."

The booklets have different call-signs for certain units, list the number of fighters and means of transportation.

Sky News is not able to independently verify the material released but, if accurate, it all backs up the theory that the Hamas attacks had been years in planning and underscores the failure of Israeli intelligence to foil it.

The evidence has been examined by a newly reformed unit in Israeli military intelligence. The unit was set up following the attacks on 7 October and is largely made up of reserve soldiers with a background in intelligence work.

According to Israeli security sources, the intelligence has directly affected IDF operations in Gaza. It has also exposed the level of detailed knowledge Hamas had of Israeli military bases, suggesting they might have had inside information from Palestinian contractors working there.