Years before the October 7 attack, Hamas leaders planned a much more deadly attack against Israel that would include toppling the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv, as reported by the Washington Post.
According to the report, details of the plan were found in documents that the IDF obtained from Hamas headquarters in Gaza. The documents showed that Hamas planned a large-scale attack that included the use of railways, boats, and even chariots and horses. However, terrorism experts estimated that most of the plans were neither practical not feasible.
Hamas planned to attack Israel simultaneously from the north, south, and east - with 3 attack scenarios and different tactics to deceive Israel. Possible targets mentioned in the document included the Moshe Aviv Tower in the Ramat Gan Stock Exchange complex as well as the Azrieli Towers complex in Tel Aviv. Hamas said in its document that "We are working on a mechanism to destroy the tower ... If this tower falls, the enemy will experience an unprecedented crisis, similar to the fall of the Twin Towers in New York on September 11."
Hamas also planned to attack railway lines in Israel, aiming to use trains to transport fighters and explosives from place to place. The document stated that "The railway line is intended to transport fuel, and this is a weak point if there is a train explosion after transferring a bomb into a city."
In addition, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar approached senior Iranians as early as 2021, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guards senior Ismail Qaani, requesting additional financial and military assistance - which included $500 million and training for 12,000 additional Hamas operatives. Sinwar claimed that with this assistance, he could "completely destroy Israel" within two years: "We promise not to waste a minute or a lira unless it takes us towards achieving the holy goal."