A bombshell interview in the Italian daily Il Tempo has thrown fresh controversy into the Gaza war narrative. As Gabriel Colodro reports [1], former Italian counterespionage chief Marco Mancini described a Hamas tunnel raid in Khan Yunis as a “small October 7,” claiming 15 fighters killed 30 people—including Americans—before one blew himself up under Israeli drone fire. He also alleged that just 18 Israeli hostages remain alive nearly two years into the conflict.
But Israeli officials flatly deny it. The Israel Defense Forces said only four soldiers were wounded, none fatally, and no Americans were present. Retired British Col. Richard Kemp dismissed Mancini’s account as “outrageous,” telling The Media Line it was implausible to hide so many casualties. Retired Israeli Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen went further: “There are no American forces there. … It’s not true.”
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Defending publication of the interview, Il Tempo editor-in-chief Tommaso Cerno argued the story’s importance lies in confronting propaganda. “Mancini is saying that Trump’s America knows what is happening, and that Trump decided to intervene together with Israel to stop these Hamas attacks,” he told The Media Line. Cerno stressed Mancini’s past disclosures, such as exposing Hamas tunnel maps before Israel acknowledged them, bolster his credibility.
For Colodro, the clash exposes more than disputed numbers. It pits one of Italy’s most experienced intelligence insiders and his journalist defender against Israeli and British security voices who dismiss his claims as fantasy. Between warnings of staged Hamas operations, references to Italy’s shadowy “Moro pact,” and assertions of Western special forces in Gaza, the story invites readers to question what truths are hidden—and what is propaganda.
Read Gabriel Colodro’s full report [1] for the gripping details behind this high-stakes dispute.