Hamas’s Failed Plot to Raid Ashkelon Prison Unveiled

By Yoni Weiss

A report Tuesday by London-based Asharq Al-Awsat reveals that one of the targets during Hamas’s onslaught on Oct. 7 was Ashkelon’s Shikma Prison, aiming to free Palestinian inmates. However, the mission faced a setback when the group deviated from its planned route for an unknown technical reason, rendering the intricate plan ineffective. The elite Nukhba force, numbering almost two dozen terrorists, intended to breach the prison’s main gate using explosive devices, sparking a riot to facilitate the prisoners’ liberation.

As depicted in a map detailing the cell’s route, after crossing the Erez crossing, the group initially traveled north to Yad Mordechai but, after engaging in a firefight, lost its way. The terrorists altered their course, moving west and then south, eventually reaching Netiv Ha’asara on the Gaza border and ending up in Sderot, where they continued their assault.

Although not independently verified, the report suggests that the group’s failure to reach the prison led them to pursue alternative targets, with battles persisting in Sderot until Oct. 8.

The IDF responded robustly, countering the devastating attack with approximately 1,000 terrorists killed within Israel.