PNN – Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli Minister of Defense, described the security warnings issued by foreign leaders to Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the October 7, 2023 operation (Operation Al-Aqsa Flood) as a fundamental failure in the intelligence assessment of the internal situation of the regime.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing The Jerusalem Post, Gallant—speaking to the regime’s Army Radio—emphasized that if the warnings received from foreign leaders were accurate; they indicated a fundamental failure in the Israeli regime’s intelligence assessment.
Regarding published reports that certain foreign leaders had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, Gallant stated: I first learned of these warnings through media reports.
He added: Assuming these reports are accurate, a warning received by the Prime Minister from a foreign leader is not a political asset; rather, it represents a fundamental failure in intelligence assessment regarding the internal situation.
The former Israeli Defense Minister also confirmed that prior to the October 7 operation, a message from Hamas had been received via the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency); this message, attributed to Yahya Sinwar—the then-head of Hamas—spoke of “shaking Israel’s prisons.”
Gallant also stated that, throughout the war, Netanyahu did not keep certain senior security officials—including the Defense Minister—apprised of a number of his sensitive discussions with U.S. officials.
He noted that, in instances involving sensitive matters such as hostages and military munitions, he only learned of the content of these conversations after U.S. officials contacted him to verify statements made by Netanyahu.
Gallant’s remarks come amidst earlier reports regarding warnings issued by Egypt and other nations prior to the October 7 operation.
The American magazine The Atlantic reported that Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian intelligence, traveled to the occupied territories eleven days prior to the October 7 operation and warned Israeli officials about the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip and the likelihood of a significant operation by Hamas.
The publication also reported that Egypt sent another message just two days before the operation regarding the potential for escalating hostilities, alongside similar warnings from Jordan and U.S. intelligence assessments concerning the possibility of military action by Hamas.
In contrast, Netanyahu had previously claimed that Israeli military and security officials had not informed him of serious threats prior to the October 7 operation.