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Edited By: TJVNews.com
In a shocking revelation, the Prime Minister’s Office has admitted that Israeli intelligence was aware of unusual activity in Gaza on the night of October 7, 2023, ahead of the devastating Hamas-led invasion and massacres in southern Israel. As i24News reported on Sunday, this disclosure comes after internal military investigations and statements from key officials, revealing critical intelligence failures in the lead-up to the worst terror attack in Israel’s history.
Initially, the Israeli government claimed that intelligence only became aware of the unfolding attack after 6:00 AM on October 7. According to the information provided in the i24News report, a new report from Channel 12 indicates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intelligence officer was alerted hours earlier, during the night preceding the assault.
At 3:30 AM, a document outlining warning signs of an imminent attack was reportedly sent to six of Israel’s top intelligence officers, including key defense officials. The only senior figure who did not receive this alert was Yoav Gallant’s intelligence officer, as he was not awakened. The i24News report highlighted that this crucial intelligence, detailing Hamas’ preparations for a large-scale invasion, was never publicly disclosed until now.
One of the most damning revelations in the i24News report comes from IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who suggested that Netanyahu’s intelligence officer failed in his duty. Halevi stated, “If the Prime Minister’s intelligence officer was a person of integrity, he should have already told him that he was aware of Hamas’ preparations on the eve of the attack and that he had not informed him. He did not do it.”
In response, Netanyahu’s intelligence officer claimed that he had transmitted the warning to the Prime Minister’s military secretary, Avi Gil, but did not escalate the issue further. According to the report at i24News, the intelligence document indicated that the next official meeting on Gaza was scheduled for the following morning, which may have contributed to the lack of urgency in passing the message up the chain of command.
For the first time, Netanyahu’s office has confirmed to i24News that intelligence about the unusual activity in Gaza was indeed relayed to Military Secretary Avi Gil during the night. However, they insist that Gil did not wake Netanyahu because the intelligence report did not classify the situation as an immediate or urgent threat.
“Faced with the determination in the message that this was not an urgent event, he chose not to wake him up from his sleep,” Netanyahu’s office stated, according to i24News.
It was only at 6:29 AM, once the attack had already begun, that Netanyahu was officially briefed on the situation. This delayed response is now under intense scrutiny, as critics argue that even a few hours’ notice could have allowed for a more effective military response to the Hamas onslaught.
In addition to the Hamas attack, Israeli military leadership was also deeply concerned about a possible simultaneous invasion by Hezbollah from Lebanon. As i24News reported, Chief of Staff Halevi expressed his fears that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah could launch an offensive against Israel’s northern border, potentially overwhelming Israeli forces.
“If Nasrallah had attacked now, we could have seen the Radwan force in Haifa,” Halevi reportedly stated. This concern over a multi-front war likely contributed to delays in troop deployments to the southern border, where Hamas was already executing its deadly offensive.
The revelations uncovered by i24News raise serious questions about Israel’s intelligence gathering, threat assessment, and decision-making processes in the hours leading up to the October 7 massacre.
Why was Netanyahu not immediately alerted despite the clear warning signs at 3:30 AM?
Did the intelligence officer downplay the threat, or was there a broader failure in Israel’s security infrastructure?
Could a faster response have mitigated the scale of the Hamas attack?
As this story develops, the Israeli public and the international community will demand greater transparency and accountability regarding how one of the worst security failures in Israeli history unfolded.
With the war against Hamas ongoing and the threat from Hezbollah still looming, Israel’s ability to quickly assess and respond to threats will be critical to preventing another catastrophic intelligence lapse.
