• Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office failed to act on an IDF memo warning of Hamas activity just hours before the Oct. 7 attack, sparking outrage and accountability concerns.
• The IDF identified five warning signs of Hamas activity but dismissed them, highlighting systemic intelligence failures and complacency.
• Speculation arose that Israel may have allowed the attack to justify a harsh military response, though no direct evidence supports this claim.
• Israel’s intelligence community underestimated Hamas for years, relying on flawed assumptions and technology, leading to catastrophic misjudgment.
• Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility, delaying a full investigation, while IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi resigned over the failures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has acknowledged that a critical memo from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warning of suspicious Hamas activity was not passed along just three hours before the devastating Oct. 7 attack.

The failure to act on this intelligence has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about Israel’s preparedness, accountability, and whether the attack was allowed to unfold to justify a harsh military response.

The memo, sent to Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, was reportedly framed in a “non-urgent” manner, according to Netanyahu’s office, which defended its inaction. However, the IDF has yet to investigate why the warning was ignored, leaving a glaring gap in accountability. The attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the ongoing war in Gaza, has been described as one of the worst intelligence failures in Israel’s history.

Missed warning signs and systemic failures

The IDF’s internal investigation revealed that at least five warning signs of unusual Hamas activity were identified the night before the attack. These included the activation of Israeli SIM cards in the hands of Hamas operatives and other classified indicators. While each sign alone was dismissed as insignificant, their collective presence was highly unusual. Yet, intelligence officers failed to interpret them as a precursor to an imminent attack.

The investigation also highlighted systemic issues within the IDF, including a lack of coordination between intelligence units, an overreliance on technology, and a culture of complacency. Senior officers were reportedly operating under the assumption that Hamas was focused on economic development and maintaining calm rather than planning a large-scale assault. This flawed perception led to a catastrophic underestimation of the threat.

Did Israel let it happen?

The failure to act on the memo and other warning signs have led to speculation about whether Israel’s leadership allowed the attack to occur to justify a harsh military response against Hamas. While there is no direct evidence to support this claim, the lack of urgency in addressing the warnings and the absence of a thorough investigation into the intelligence failure have fueled skepticism.

Netanyahu’s government may have underestimated the scale of the attack, believing it would be a limited incursion that could be used to rally international support for a broader offensive. However, the attack was far more devastating than anticipated, resulting in widespread death and destruction.

A history of misjudgment

The IDF’s investigation also revealed that Israel’s intelligence community had long underestimated Hamas’s capabilities and intentions. For years, Hamas was viewed as a secondary threat compared to Hezbollah and Iran, leading to a policy of “conflict management” rather than proactive defense. This complacency was compounded by a reliance on advanced technology, which created a false sense of security.

The report found that Hamas had been planning a large-scale attack since at least 2014, with the plan codenamed “Jericho Wall.” Despite multiple opportunities to detect and disrupt the plot, Israeli intelligence failed to connect the dots. The 2021 Gaza war, which Israel believed had dealt a severe blow to Hamas, instead emboldened the group to accelerate its plans.

The revelations have deepened the sense of betrayal among Israelis, many of whom are demanding accountability from both military and political leaders. While IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has resigned over the failures, Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility, repeatedly delaying a full investigation until after the war.

Ofer Shelah, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, emphasized the need for transparency. “The importance of the report is first and foremost for the survivors, the families of soldiers and civilians who were killed, the families of those who were kidnapped and the [southern] communities, those who have still not returned,” he said.

The Oct. 7 attack and the intelligence failures that preceded it have left deep scars on Israeli society. The admission by Netanyahu’s office that it ignored a critical warning raises troubling questions about his leadership and the true motivations behind Israel’s response.

Sources for this article include:

JustTheNews.com

TimesOfIsrael.com

DW.com