Prime Minister Netanyahu Admits Military Secretariat Received Warning of Hamas Attack on October 7th

In a significant shift from previous statements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this evening that his military secretariat had received a message on the night of October 7th indicating that Hamas was preparing for an attack. This marks the first time Netanyahu has acknowledged the existence of such a message, contradicting earlier claims from his office that no warning signs had reached them.

Message Relayed, But No Immediate Action Taken

According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the message, which contained several indications that Hamas was acting “as usual,” was received by the intelligence officer in the Prime Minister's military secretariat. The officer passed the message on to the military secretary. However, the officer, deeming the message non-urgent, did not wake the military secretary at the time. The Southern Command was set to hold a discussion about the situation the following morning.

For months, Netanyahu's office insisted that no intelligence regarding an impending attack by Hamas had been received. This latest admission contradicts that position.

Revelations About the Intelligence Update

Last November, journalist Ronen Bergman revealed that Colonel S., the intelligence officer at the Prime Minister's Office, received updates from Military Intelligence, including encrypted messages and phone calls from the operations center. Netanyahu’s office did not confirm or deny this information at the time.

The office's new statement follows a report by Amit Segal, which claimed that Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi accused the intelligence officer of dishonesty for not informing Netanyahu about the warnings he received. According to Segal, Halevi criticized the officer for failing to update the Prime Minister on Hamas' preparations before the attack.

IDF Investigation Finds Gaps in Communication

An IDF investigation revealed that a situation assessment by the Southern Command, involving Major General Yaron Finkelman, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Head of Operations Oded Sayuk, discussed the signs of an imminent attack. However, the assessment was forwarded to the operational phones of Netanyahu's and Defense Minister Yoav Galant's military secretaries, and there is no confirmation that it was read or acknowledged by either leader. The IDF has not clarified whether there was any procedure in place to ensure that these updates reached Netanyahu and Galant.

New Findings Highlight Multiple Warnings of Attack

The investigation also uncovered that at least five separate signs of an impending attack were received by the IDF in the hours leading up to the massacre on October 7th. These included the activation of mobile phone SIM cards in Gaza, suspicious movements in rocket arrays, and other indicators. The investigation corroborated Bergman’s earlier report that Colonel S. had received these updates.

Yair Netanyahu Criticizes Security Establishment

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s son, Yair Netanyahu, took to social media to criticize the heads of Israel's security establishment. He claimed that had his father been alerted the night before October 7th, “no civilian or soldier would have been murdered, raped, or kidnapped.” Yair Netanyahu stated on the X network that the Prime Minister can be contacted at any time, through his mobile phone, a red phone, or a landline at home.

This latest development has sparked renewed debate about the lapses in communication and preparedness leading up to the deadly Hamas attack.