Israel vows to hunt Hamas ‘wherever they are in the world’ even if it takes years, secret recordings reveal

Israel has pledged to hunt down and kill Hamas leaders 'wherever they are in the world' – even if it takes years, secret recordings show.

The head of Shin Bet, the country's security service, can be heard in a clip comparing the Oct. 7 massacre to an earlier terror attack at the Munich Olympics.

He says: 'The War Cabinet has given us a goal – to eliminate Hamas – and we are determined to do it. This is our Munich.'

In 1972, Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli team at the Olympic Games, killing eleven athletes. For years, the country took bloody revenge on those responsible, including an operation codenamed Wrath of God – dramatized by Steven Spielberg in the 2005 film Munich – that targeted nine members of the group responsible. They were tracked down in Rome, Paris and Beirut and murdered over a period of seven years.

The massacre on October 7 this year left at least 1,200 people dead and more than 200 kidnapped.

Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet intelligence services, is heard in a clip comparing the October 7 massacre to an earlier terror attack at the Munich Olympics

People walk around the ruins of a building destroyed during Israeli attacks in Gaza City on October 8

The massacre on October 7 this year left at least 1,200 people dead and more than 200 kidnapped.

In the recordings broadcast by Israeli TV channel Kan on Sunday evening, security chief Ronan Bar, 58, can be heard saying: “We are learning all our lessons from the events. [of October 7].

“It will be done wherever it is needed, in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar. It will take a few years, but we will be there to do it.

'The responsibility for safety lies with us. It is our duty to provide both safety and a sense of security. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so on October 7. I think we're on an upward trajectory.”

In a letter to staff after the attacks, Mr Bar said: 'The responsibility lies with me. Unfortunately, despite a series of actions we took on Saturday, we were unable to achieve sufficient deterrence to thwart the attack.

'There will come a time for investigation. Now we're fighting.'

Senior Hamas leaders are known to live outside Gaza and the West Bank, with key figures in Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar and Iran. Ismail Haniyeh, 61, head of Hamas's political bureau, travels between Istanbul and Doha and is known to stay in luxury five-star hotels.

He is often accompanied by leader Khaled Mashal, 58, who flies between Doha and Istanbul.

Turkey responded by saying Israel would face “severe consequences” if it tried to carry out assassinations against Hamas within its borders or in other countries. A Turkish intelligence source said: “The necessary warnings were given… based on the news about the statements of Israeli officials, and it was made clear to Israel that this would lead to serious consequences.”

Last week, The Wall Street Journal said Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered spy agencies to draw up plans to assassinate top Hamas leaders outside Gaza. According to the report, some called on Israel to immediately kill Hamas leader Mashal, who lives in Doha. But such actions on Qatari or Turkish soil could thwart diplomatic efforts to free hostages.

Mr Bar's intervention comes as a Hamas official claimed the terror group was “not far away” from launching a “liberation war” bigger than the October 7 attacks on Israel.