The earth shook – and not only near gaza: the discovery of the vans of Hamas

A study by researchers from Tel Aviv University in the field of forensic seismology, reveals the seismic signature (a field of science that studies earthquakes) of the movement of the Hamas forces before the attack on Black Sabbath on October 7, 2023.

Researchers from the Department of Geophysics recently analyzed data recorded at three seismic stations in the south of the country. According to the results, on the morning of October 7, about half an hour before the murderous terrorist attack, these stations measured weak ground vibrations which, according to the researchers, were affected by the unusual movement of heavy vehicles (such as tractors, bulldozers and trucks) within the Gaza Strip, towards the border with Israel.

Forensic seismology is used, among other things, to detect conventional and nuclear explosions – but this is the first time in history that researchers have been able to detect weak ground vibrations due to preparations for a terrorist attack, by using the properties of the seismic noise created due to the movement of vehicles. The researchers believe that the discovery points to the potential of using seismic data to warn against terrorist acts in the future. However, the researchers wish to emphasize that the identification of the movements in Gaza was made, as mentioned, in retrospect, several months after the attack.

The unique study was conducted by Dr Asaf Inbal from the Department of Geophysics at Tel Aviv University and his results are published in the journal “The Seismic Record” which belongs to the American Seismological Society.

“The Israel Geological Survey operates a national network of dozens of sensitive seismometers, which continuously monitor the ground vibrations and whose purpose is to identify and locate earthquakes and provide warnings against strong ground vibrations due to earthquakes,” Dr. Inbal explained.

“However, three stations in the network, located in the communities of Ametiya, Katziot and Yatir and located between 30 and 50 km from the Gaza Strip, received a very unusual signal in the early morning hours of October 7, which can be attributed with a high degree of clarity to the movement of heavy vehicles in Gaza to the points The organization for the start of the attack. This is the time frame between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning, that is, before the start of the rocket fire. The probability that the recorded signals do come from Gaza is higher than 99.9%.”

Dr. Inbal emphasized that the factor that made it possible to detect the weak signals generated during the movement of vehicles in Gaza was the silence that prevailed in Israel during the hours before the attack, on Saturday morning, on the holiday of Simchat Torah. According to him, this is a development that is the result of seismological research conducted over the past five years Its purpose is to characterize seismic noise from human sources.

“I hope that now, with the new knowledge we have gained, it will be possible to expand the use of tools of this type for security and industrial needs as well,” he further stated. “We see the graduates of the geophysics department from the university integrating into the scientific and technological front and we have no doubt that in the future we will see more use of seismology in fourth fields, which affect the daily lives of all of us.”