Research reveals: traders profited from early information about a Hamas attack

Extensive research from New York and Columbia universities has revealed that certain parties benefited from early information about the October 7 terrorist attacks. The research revealed that in the weeks preceding the attack there was a significant increase in short selling and put options on shares of Israeli companies both on the New York Stock Exchange and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

The study emphasized that these transactions did not follow a general trend and were unusually large compared to those that preceded Israel's military operations in the past.

For example, in one case, a short position of 4.43 million shares in Bank Leumi (LUMI.TA) was built between September 14 and October 5, which led to a huge profit of 3.2 billion shekels following the drop in the value of the stock that occurred at the beginning of the war. This pattern raises questions about how the information was obtained and the identity of the traders behind these positions which are probably related to Hamas.

The findings of the study indicate that these traders, who may have been informed ahead of time about the attack, profited enormously from these tragic events.

The authorities in Israel and the US are now examining to what extent the current securities laws can be applied to this situation.