Israel’s Geological Survey organisation has revealed how it plans to detect any future October 7-style attacks from Hamas. Unsusual ground vibrations can be identified before chaos kicks off
Terrorists gearing up for the October 7 horror attack on Israel were so loud their preparations were picked up by technology used to detect earthquakes.
The number of Hamas tractors, bulldozers and trucks revving their engines in Gaza meant seismology detectors recorded unusual ground vibrations minutes before the assault.
Israel’s Geological Survey organisation operates a national network of dozens of sensors all over the country aimed at detecting and warning of strong ground signals.
Technology used to detect oncoming ground dangers could be used in the future to give a signal that fresh tunnels are being dug or unusual vehicular manoeuvres are underway.
Unfortunately, the detected preparations were only picked up months after the attack which sparked wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Three of the Survey organisation’s stations are in Amatzia, Ketziot and Yatir, between 20 and 30 miles outside the Gaza Strip and they detected unusual movement inside the enclave.
Dr Asaf Inbal of Tel Aviv University told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper: “In the early morning hours of October 7, these stations recorded very unusual seismic noise.” Months after October 7, when close to 1,200 were murdered in Israel and 250 were kidnapped and dragged into the Palestinian enclave, researchers analysed the seismic data.
They discovered the movement of heavy vehicles such as tractors, bulldozers and trucks in the Gaza Strip, starting 20 minutes before the border fence was breached at 6.29am, triggered distinct low-intensity ground motions.
The results of the study, which was headed by Inbal, were in the scientific journal The Seismic Record. Inbal told Haaretz that the seismic noise from, vehicles at 6am as they prepared to launched their attack: “could be attributed with a high level of significance to the movement of heavy vehicles toward the organization points.”
He and his researchers were even able to record the speeds at which the vehicles approached the border fence as the attack was underway.
He added they detected vehicles travelled along a route called Salal al-Din Road within Gaza and said: “We can determine with high certainty that the [Hamas] forces advanced on the road at speeds of 25 to 50 kilometers per hour.”