Sinwar Sent 'Sleepy Israel' Intel Before Oct. 7 Attack, Report Claims

Weeks before the October 7th Hamas attack, Yahya Sinwar, a top Hamas leader, allegedly transmitted information intended to lull Israel into a false sense of security, according to i24NEWS. The intelligence was reportedly passed to former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan via Soufian Abu Zaida, a Fatah figure close to Dahlan. Dahlan then allegedly relayed the information to Israel's Shin Bet security agency.

While Haaretz previously reported on this communication channel, i24NEWS adds details about the specific individuals involved. However, i24NEWS could not confirm whether Dahlan forwarded the information to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and subsequently to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Haaretz had claimed.

A senior Israeli intelligence official told i24NEWS that the information received by the Shin Bet was not a concrete alert. "This information was neither alarming, nor of high quality, nor operational," the official stated, adding that it was less precise than intelligence Israel already possessed and therefore did not prompt any specific actions.

The communication channel itself was not unusual, as Soufian Abu Zaida had long-standing contacts with both Hamas officials, including Ghazi Hamad, and a senior Shin Bet official responsible for hostage and missing persons cases. Israeli services were accustomed to such indirect exchanges.

i24NEWS analysis suggests Sinwar's transmitted information may have been part of a deception strategy to reinforce Israel's belief that Hamas prioritized dialogue. The report notes Hamas's extensive engagement with journalists and former Israeli officials in the years leading up to the attack, focusing on civilian projects and mediation, which may have masked their attack preparations. "The conception ended up absorbing all the signs," the senior intelligence official concluded, referring to the prevailing Israeli belief that Hamas was not seeking a major confrontation.