Oct 9 (Reuters) - Palestinian Islamist group Hamas deployed a force of about 1,000 fighters to stage the most devastating attack on Israel in decades, organising them into specialised units, a source close to the group told Reuters. Some of the operations or training by the units were caught on videos released by Hamas and its armed wing the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. Videos released by Hamas showed the unit, with badges carrying the name Air Force Falcon Squadron, in what appeared to be training for the assault. Videos issued by Hamas showed the fighters breaching the security fences, with the dim light and low sun suggesting it was at around the time as the rocket barrage. Hamas released a video showing what it described as drones called Zouari, saying they were the ones used to pave the way for the infiltration.

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Persons: Deen al, paragliders, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean, Edmund Blair Organizations: Hamas, Reuters, Brigades, AIRBORNE UNIT, Air Force Falcon Squadron, COMMANDO, UNIT, Thomson Locations: Israel, Israeli, Gaza, Dubai