It happened during the first week of the war between Israel and Hamas in early July 2014. Mohammed al-Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing, wanted to carry out a contingency plan that he had devised with his subordinates. Some 30 fighters from the wing’s elite force, al-Nokhba, had been selected for the mission. They were divided into several details. One was in charge of taking control of the perimeter while a second was responsible for taking hostages. The third detail was assigned to strike at the members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who would approach the area.

Although fairly simple, the plan was nevertheless dramatic. Had it materialized, it could have changed the course of the war. It might also have very well upended Hamas' rule in the Gaza Strip. Its trump card was to have been the element of surprise. Armed Hamas militants were to infiltrate Israel via underground tunnels near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. Upon exiting, they were to invade the kibbutz and nearby communities, murdering residents and returning to Gaza as quickly as possible via the tunnels with as many hostages as possible. They would then enter into negotiations with Israel for the release of Hamas prisoners.

This was to have been an operation that would reverberate for many years. It was to have been an event that would have once again made people aware of the military wing’s operational capability, allowing it to put the first new notch on its belt since the kidnapping of the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in June 2006.

Equipped with the necessary orders and intelligence on the objectives, the Hamas force was all set to go when the order to abort was issued. According to sources, Khaled Meshaal, head of the Hamas Political Bureau and in Qatar, had been apprehensive about the repercussions of such an operation and therefore vetoed it. Attempts by commanders of the military wing to dissuade him came to naught. Meshaal remembered vividly the strong Israeli reaction following Shalit’s kidnapping that claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians and wreaked havoc on Gaza. He was sure that this time Israel would punish Gaza even more severely. Further, Hamas’ ultimate goal of lifting the blockade on Gaza would have become ever more distant. Gaza would have turned into a war-stricken area, descending into years of humanitarian disaster.