Hamas plotters are spreading their tentacles of terror into Europe, with secret arms dumps and operatives planning attacks even as far as in the United Kingdom.
Far from becoming a spent force with a slain leadership, dismantled command structure and most of its fighters killed in battle, it has grown outside Gaza. The Mirror has been given an intelligence report saying Hamas has spread its influence from the "United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland..."
Behind-the-scenes Iran's shadowy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - IRGC - and its proxy Lebanese forces Hezbollah have aided the Hamas expansion. And top of their targets are Israeli diplomatic missions, businesses with Israeli links or religious sites related to the war-hit Jewish state.
As well as hiding caches of weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition the group has actively started expanding into the use of drone warfare. The report says the group is supported from Lebanon and Iran and has developed close links to east European crime networks helping it to source deadly weapons.
Even though Hamas has been near-destroyed in its home base Gaza it had plotted a European expansion long before its October 7 2023 attack on southern Israel. That October 7 Hamas assault outside Gaza has so far resulted in a war that has killed 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza and more than 2,000 Israelis - most of these killed on the first day.
The chilling report says: "Hamas has historically concentrated its operational activities within Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. "However, collected intelligence over the last decade indicates a deliberate strategic shift toward developing foreign operational capabilities. European and other intelligence services, supported by Israeli agencies, have repeatedly uncovered early-stage plots, weapons caches, organised-crime connections, and logistics networks designed to support contingency operations."
The report suggests Hamas leadership has developed an intricate network of "influence" with charities, non-government organisations and hardcore crime gangs. It argues that Hamas has planned to expand its operations, mainly against Israeli targets, throughout Europe over a period of many "years."
And it says Hamas's destruction in Gaza since the 2023 start of the war prompted it, rather than to give up, to massively look at expansion into Europe. Instead of avoiding 'external operations' outside Gaza and the West Bank it has become more likely or willing to launch them since the October 7 attacks. The current threat of a terror attack in the UK is assessed by MI5 and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre to be "substantial".
This means an attack is "likely" and although that is more likely to acted out by operatives loyal to Islamic State, it could be by an Islamist organisation or, increasingly, the far-right. Hamas - or Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, is a Sunni Islamist Palestinian nationalist organisation with an armed wing called the al-Qassam Brigades.
It has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 but was formed in 1987 after the First Intifada uprising commenced. The report continued: "The 7th October 2023 assault fundamentally altered Israel's threat perceptions, but also reshaped Hamas' calculations. Following catastrophic damage to its infrastructure in Gaza and significant leadership attrition, the group's remaining command nodes particularly those in Lebanon began activating contingency plans long under development.
"These included the mobilisation of European-based operatives, retrieval of pre-positioned weapons, and cooperation with criminal networks to acquire additional materiel. According to both Western and Israeli officials, the organisation's leadership now appears more willing to accept the strategic risks of external operations."
It is feared Hamas attacks against Israeli targets - or groups allied to Israel - could become more likely even as the group is defeated in Gaza. And the report argues that exponentially, the more Hamas is degraded within Gaza, the more likely attacks across Europe will be. Alarmingly it says the "short term outlook - for the next six months - includes a "High likelihood of continued attempts at external operations, particularly in Europe, as Hamas seeks to demonstrate resilience.
"Increased risk of attacks directed by surviving Lebanese-based commanders or carried out by radicalised affiliates inspired by Hamas' narrative." And it says links with "criminal networks" will also increase "for arms, financing, and logistics."
As the likelihood of another conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah - and possibly another period of missile exchanges between Israel and Iran increases- so too does risk of a Hamas attack. The report highlights the "potential for retaliatory action" following Israeli strikes on Hamas leadership abroad. And it adds: "The trajectory hinges on developments in Gaza, internal Hamas politics, and Israel's continued targeting of external command nodes:
"If Hamas sustains further attrition, external operations may grow in relative importance within the group's strategy." And even if a long-term ceasefire deal for Gaza is struck between Hamas and Israel, that does not mean the group's European attack ambitions will end. It adds: "A ceasefire or political accommodation could lead Hamas to temporarily suppress external cells, though the existing networks would likely remain intact.
"Growing Iranian and Hezbollah influence could draw Hamas more deeply into a multi-organisation regional-terror apparatus, accelerating the shift toward transnational violence." Colonel Richard Kemp, a former adviser to the UK government on terrorism and commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, told the Daily Mirror: "It is entirely possible that Hamas will feel the need to launch attacks outside Gaza and in Europe and there are reports of arms caches in the continent. They are popular in Gaza and the West Bank so they feel they have to continue their attacks , no matter how degraded they are there.
"Europe would be a place to expect attacks of this sort and the threat is apparently quite real as Hamas tries to assert its influence. It is of course possible to trace all of their support back to the IRGC and their Iranian paymasters since they have similar ambitions - to do harm to Israel and Israelis. As the risk of attacks from Hamas increase it will become increasingly necessary for Britain to rely upon Israeli intelligence to help them disrupt attempts at attacks by Hamas."
The report, compiled by western intelligence experts, warns that Hamas is now under pressure to extend its attacks beyond its region. And that it will rely upon small and near-undetectable cell structures, perhaps similar to those employed by the IRA. It says: "In light of the plots described, the prevailing planning assumption for Western security agencies must now be that Hamas is both willing and actively attempting to conduct attacks beyond the Middle East whenever operational conditions permit.
"The group appears increasingly inclined to rely on small, compartmented cells supported by pre-positioned weapons, criminal facilitators, and dual-use technologies such as commercially available drones. Evidence accumulated between 2019 and 2025 demonstrates that Hamas undertook extensive, long-term preparations for potential global operations. These efforts included embedding trusted operatives across Europe, establishing covert weapons caches, and cultivating operational links with organised crime groups. The activation of these networks both before and after the 7 October attacks signals a decisive -- and potentially enduring shift in Hamas strategy.
" The organisation's willingness to exploit European territory for operational purposes represents a significant escalation, necessitating sustained vigilance, strategic clarity, and coordinated action from Western security agencies. Although uncertainty remains as to whether this transition will harden into a permanent doctrine, the operational infrastructure uncovered thus far gives Hamas the latent capacity to escalate external activity rapidly should strategic conditions favour it.
"European and Israeli authorities therefore assess that the threat of Hamas-directed international terrorism is likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future."