Ex-Defense Minister Gallant Confirms Hamas Warning Received Before Oct. 7

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that Hamas sent a message to the Shin Bet security agency in the weeks preceding the October 7th attacks, stating that Yahya Sinwar would "shake the prisons." Gallant revealed this in an interview with Galai Tzahal (Army Radio), explaining that the message was relayed through the Shin Bet.

However, Gallant stated that the security establishment's interpretation at the time did not connect the message to a broader attack plan. "The assessment by the Shin Bet and Aman (Military Intelligence Directorate) was that it related to the abduction of Elizabeth Tsurkov," Gallant said, referring to the Russian-Israeli academic taken hostage in Iraq.

Gallant also addressed reports of warnings allegedly conveyed to Israel by Egypt and the UAE before October 7th. He stated that he was unaware of such warnings during his tenure as Defense Minister, hearing about them for the first time through the media. "If this is true, when a prime minister receives a warning from a state leader, it is not his political asset, it is a security asset of the security system," he commented.

Regarding claims that the head of Egyptian intelligence visited Israel shortly before the attack, Gallant clarified that he had no knowledge of such an event during his time as Defense Minister. "Such an event did not happen to my knowledge, and was not managed by those subordinate to me," he stated.